Two Kearny residents, one of them a 17-year-old boy, were among 16 people arrested in a statewide sweep targeting individuals who used an online file-sharing network to download and distribute child pornography, N.J. Attorney General Robert Lougy announced last week.
Speaking Wednesday at the State Police Technology Complex in Hamilton, Lougy noted that the extensive state/federal investigation, termed “Operation Safeguard,” was a joint effort by the N.J. Division of Criminal Justice and ICE Homeland Security. The N.J. State Police assisted with the investigation, and numerous local police departments and county prosecutors’ offices were involved in the arrests.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Kearny Police Department and the Belleville Police Department were among the agencies cited for their cooperation.
One of the local suspects was identified as Andres Tejada-Diaz, 42, a factory worker, who allegedly had 168 files of suspected child pornography in a shared folder on his computer. Investigators said they found a locked suitcase filled with sex toys and underwear for little girls when they executed a search warrant at his Kearny home.
Tejada-Diaz was arrested March 3 and charged with possession of 100 or more files of child pornography and distribution of 25 or more files. His bail was set at $100,000.
The 17-year-old, described only as a Hudson County high-school student, allegedly had 122 files of suspected child pornography in a shared folder on his computer. He reportedly sold child porn to people he met online in exchange for Amazon gift cards.
The juvenile was arrested March 15 and was subsequently released with an ankle monitor, authorities said. He is charged with selling child pornography, possession of 100 or more files of child porn, and distribution of 25 or more files.
Authorities expained that the distribution charges can include simply having that number of files in a shared folder on the defendants’ computers, available for other users to download.
The other 14 defendants, arrested between Feb. 10 and March 31, range in age from 22 to 72 and reside in seven N.J. counties: Union, Gloucester, Sussex, Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Mercer.
Authorities said the arrestees included a 36-year-old 5th grade teacher at a school in Vineland who not only allegedly had child porn on his personal computer but is also accused of hiding a tablet computer in a bathroom stall at a local theater to record video of people using the toilet.
Another defendant is a 55-year-old bus driver for the Sparta School District, who allegedly viewed child pornography on his computer during breaks between bus runs.
“These defendants come from all walks of life, but they allegedly share a depraved desire to see children being raped and sexually exploited,” Lougy said. “By viewing and distributing child pornography, particularly the child rape videos targeted in this operation, these offenders directly motivate and put themselves in league with the predators who torture children to create these repulsive materials.”
According to the AG’s office, all 16 defendants have been charged with second-degree distribution of child pornography, which carries a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison, and third-degree possession of child porn, which carries a sentence of three to five years.
The charges will be presented to a state grand jury for potential indictment. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and the defendants may face additional charges upon indictment.
During Operation Safeguard, Homeland Security special agents and detectives from the Division of Criminal Justice and State Police monitored several online file-sharing networks that are popular with offenders who download and trade child pornography.
Using advanced technology, the investigators searched for telltale digital “fingerprints” of known child pornography, as well as search terms used by those who download and share child porn. Through these and other methods, authorities said, they identified New Jersey residents who were downloading child pornography and making child porn available to others in “shared folders” on their computers.
Elie Honig, director of the Division of Criminal Justice, commented: “By sharing and recirculating videos of child pornography, these offenders perpetually re-victimize the innocent children who are sexually assaulted to produce them.”
With efforts such as Operation Safeguard, he noted, “we’re putting child pornography users on notice that we have infiltrated their file-sharing networks and chat rooms, and we will trace these crimes right to their doors.”
