VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A teacher and coach is serving a 210-year prison sentence for sexually abusing children and making child porn, but Channel 9 learned Friday he was under investigation for doing the same thing years ago but never faced charges.
Matthew Graziotti was once a trusted mentor at Warner Christian Academy in Volusia County, and authorities said he admitted to using that position to gain the trust of the young boys he abused and recorded.
In new documents obtained by WFTV's Janai Norman, Edgewater police began investigating Graziotti in 2004 for allegedly committing similar crimes, but investigators said they didn’t have enough evidence to charge Graziotti at the time.
From 2010 to 2014, Graziotti stored thousands of explicit videos and photographs of children, many he made himself.
He was sentenced to 210 years in prison last month, but only now are the prior allegations coming to light.
New documents show Graziotti separated from his wife in 2004, and the paperwork shows she provided a church reverend with a list of nine suspicious incidents involving Graziotti and children.
Those incidents dated back to November 2002, and include claims that Graziotti let a child sleep with him while his wife was away and not answering his phone while being alone with children.
The reports show the Department of Children and Families was made aware of the allegations but ruled the children were not in immediate danger after Graziotti was removed from his position at the time.
No formal charges were ever filed.