New Jersey police arrested 77 men and two teenagers in the culmination of a 9-month-long investigation into child predators and child pornography offenders.
The youngest victim was 2 years old.
“Most of the child pornography cases involved videos where children, young children, are depicted being raped,” Attorney General Christopher Porrino told PIX11.
Among the arrested are 10 child predators who allegedly tried to traffick children from New Jersey for sex and four men who tried to lure children for sex. The defendants range from age 14 to 75 years old.
(New Jersey Attorney General)Porrino announced the arrests on Friday, crediting the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Investigators followed suspects across the country, as far as California, where a man was arrested for bringing children from New Jersey for an alleged sex party, according to PIX11.
George Castillo, 36, believed he was picking up a 4-year-old and 9-year-old girl from the airport. Instead, he was met with detectives, investigators say. Catillo allegedly had a stuffed animal and sex toys in his car.
Detectives pretended to be children or parents willing to sell their children for sex online. Some of the suspects connected with the detectives.
(New Jersey Attorney General)Among the arrested is 22-year-old youth minister Michael DeBlock, from Hopatcong; a 17-year-old Bergen County student accused of filming other children in a bathroom; 37-year-old Toms River piano teacher Bryan San Andreas; an unnamed Trenton Police officer; and 52-year-old swimming coach James Cutrone, from Hazlet.
“The men we arrested lurked in the shadows of the internet and social media, looking for opportunities to sexually assault young children or to view such unspeakable assaults by sharing child pornography,” said Porrino.
The task force personnel demonstrated some of the cutting-edge technology used to capture the suspects, including a mobile cybercrime forensics van equipped with tools that can scan smartphones and external hard drives for child pornography.
Investigators also showed off 2-year-old German shepherd Mega, the only canine in the country trained to sniff out digital devices. Mega can pick up the scent of TPPO—a chemical found in these devices.
“We’ve made these proactive child protection investigations a top priority by adding more staff for them at the state level and considerable new resources, including the mobile forensics lab and electronics detection dog,” Director of the Division of Criminal Justice Elie Honig told PIX 11.
The suspects could face decades in prison if convicted.
The attorney general used the opportunity to urge parents to keep a vigilant watch on their children’s use of the internet.
The full list of the identified suspects is as follows, per PIX 11.
- George Castillo, 36, of Inglewood, Calif., faces federal charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and production of child pornography, as well as New Jersey charges including first-degree conspiracy to commit child trafficking.
- Joseph Donohew, 26, of Brownsburg, Ind., is charged in Indiana with attempted child molestation.
- William Esker, 22, of Bayonne, N.J., was charged on Sept. 7 by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office with aggravated criminal sexual contact for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a girl, 14, over whom he had direct supervision as a camp counselor. He also is charged with providing obscene material to a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
- Donald Beckwith, 34, of Browns Mills, N.J., is charged in Delaware with sexual solicitation of a minor and attempt to commit unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Beckwith is a captain in the Air Force stationed in New Jersey.
- Michael DeBlock, 22, of Hopatcong, N.J., a youth minister, was charged by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office with possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a child. DeBlock allegedly exchanged sexual photos and texts with a girl, 14, including a photo of his penis.
- Brandon Morris, 24, of Hammonton, N.J., was charged by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office with manufacturing child pornography, endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct, conveying obscene materials to a child, and possession of child pornography.
- A 17-year-old student from Bergen County, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, was charged by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office with manufacturing, distributing and possessing child pornography, as well as invasion of privacy. He allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography on his electronic devices.
- Craig Kirschner, 39, of Marlboro, N.J., was charged by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office with luring a child, attempted sexual assault of a minor, and conveying obscene material to a minor.
- Isaac Toney, 40, of Trenton, N.J., was charged with luring a child, allegedly using a mobile app to do so.
- Robert Elmi, 63, of Gillette, N.J., faces one charge of luring a child, allegedly using a Craigslist ad to solicit a relationship with a younger female.
- William Camargo, 48, of Millington, N.J., an IT professional, allegedly had more than 138,000 files of suspected child pornography, and possibly more than one million files (determination awaiting full forensic examinations of computer equipment);
- Callen Kapschock, 55, of Hamilton, Mercer County, N.J., a mechanic, allegedly had more than 10,000 files of suspected child pornography;
- Md F. Uddin, 43, of Elizabeth, N.J., an engineer, allegedly had more than 5,000 files of suspected child pornography;
- Kody Knotts, 22, of Millville, N.J., along with his two brothers immediately below, allegedly had a combined total of nearly 5,000 files of suspected child pornography;
- Alexander Knotts, 27, of Millville, N.J.;
- Kyle Knotts, 23, of Millville, N.J.;
- Laurence Duque, 42, of Dayton, N.J., allegedly had over 4,000 files of suspected child pornography;
- Gregory Piszczek, 35, of Woodbridge, N.J., an IT professional, allegedly had over 4,000 files of suspected child pornography;
- Kevin Groeger, 63, of Cranford, N.J., a postal worker, allegedly had over 2,000 files of suspected child pornography;
- Pasquale “Charles” Albano, 75, of Point Pleasant, N.J., allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography; and
- Juvenile Male, 17, referenced above, allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography.
- Paul Marinelli, 52, of South Brunswick, N.J., a Trenton police officer, charged with possession of child pornography.
- James Cutrone, 54, of Hazlet, N.J., a youth swim coach, charged with distribution of child pornography.
- Bryan San Andreas, 37, of Toms River, N.J., a piano teacher, charged with possession of child pornography.
- John Parsons, 50, of Vineland, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Donald Williams, 39, of Camden, N.J., charged with distribution of child pornography.
- Kevin Wenng, 35, of Cliffwood Beach, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Victor Kurynow, 58, of Bedminster, N.J., charged with attempted possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a minor.
- Paul Fuhs, 44, of Laurel Springs, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Ryan Stemetzki, 26, of Maple Shade, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Robert Ruff, 56, of Delran, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Robert King, 63, of North Wildwood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Jason Locke, 42, of Manchester, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Stephen Slawinski, 60, of Morris Plains, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Herbert Ferreira, 43, of Dover, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Joseph Maruca, 26, of Berkeley Township, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- James Gilbertson, 60, of Manchester, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Christopher Todd, 49, of Lyndhurst, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Alexis Gonzalez, 28, of Hackensack, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Raul Rodriguez, 33, of Jersey City, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Dhanendhran Govender, 32, of East Windsor, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Luis Pacheco-Loja, 30, of Belleville, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Robert White, 66, of Morristown, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Jonathan Latiff 40, of Jersey City, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Anthony Gerace, 43, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., charged with distribution of child pornography.
- Antonio Baang, 26, of Galloway Township, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Richard Lake, 65, of Trenton, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Federico Flores, 29, of Rahway, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- James Agin, 69, of Westwood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Fortino Rosales-Rodriguez, 22, of Oaklyn, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Justin Saavedra, 22, of Clifton, N.J., charged with distribution of child pornography.
- Daniel Braz, 39, of South River, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Nelson Cintron, Jr., 54, of Collingswood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Michael Brown, 28, of Pennsauken, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Erik Baez, 38, of Sicklerville, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Larry Gonzalez, 45, of Elizabeth, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Erik Johnson, 49, charged by Union County Prosecutor’s Office with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Marco Biason, 68, of Dover, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Brian Neilson, 55, of Metuchen, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Thomas Smith, 54, of Woodstown, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Zachary Brawer, 31, of Paramus, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Brian J. Gardner, 74, of Nutley, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- John T. Ruffner, 37, of Lumberton, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- John Skubiak, 62, of Deptford, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Nicholas J. Novak, 66, of Ocean Township, Monmouth County, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Eric MacAfee, 41, of Seaside Heights, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Jeison Padilla, 29, of Somerville, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a minor.
- Justin England, 31, of North Plainfield, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Eric Yourish, 61, of North Plainfield, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Christopher Dunham, 22, of Rockaway, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Justin Piccola, 23, of Randolph, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Nicolas Bencze, 36, of Maywood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Michael Yosco, 70, of Garfield, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Male Juvenile, age 14, of Bergen County, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- Julio Garcia, 29, of Bridgeton, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Joseph Lawitz, 34, of Hamilton, Mercer County, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
- James Livas, 22, of Hopatcong, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Robert Fuscarino, 27, of Hopatcong, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
- Donovan Roots, 19, of Pilesgrove, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
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