Brick Man Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Possession: DOJ

BRICK, NJ — A Brick man admitted Tuesday to possessing thousands of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey announced.

34-year-old Andrew Ramey pleaded guilty by teleconference to one count of possession of child pornography, according to a Department of Justice news release. According to court statements and documents, Ramey downloaded and shared materials containing images of child sexual abuse from March to June 2020 through a file-sharing network called BitTorrent.

Law enforcement agents used investigative software to access the BitTorrent Network and downloaded video files from devices linked to an IP address at Ramey’s home. On Nov. 13, 2020, law enforcement agents searched his residence and seized mobile phones belonging to Ramey. Analysis revealed that the phone contained thousands of videos and images of child sexual abuse.

Ramey had already been convicted of one count of possession of child pornography in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, according to the DOJ news release. Because he is a repeat offender, the possession charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, along with a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross financial gain or loss, whichever is greater.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 2022.