Belleville Man Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Distribution

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A Belleville man pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography on Tuesday, authorities said.

Mauricio Calderon, 51, of Belleville, pleaded guilty in federal district court to one count of distribution of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors released the following statement about Tuesday’s plea:

“Between March 2020 and April 10, 2020, Calderon used an encrypted, internet-based application to distribute multiple graphic videos depicting the sexual assault of minors. During the course of the investigation, Calderon publicly posted multiple videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, some of which featured infants and toddlers, in a chatroom and also sent links that redirected to web-pages containing child pornography. Law enforcement also discovered numerous videos and images of child sexual abuse on Calderon’s electronic devices when he was arrested at his home in September 2020.”

The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 23.

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