Ex-Youth Wrestling Coach From Brick Admits Sharing Sexually Explicit Photos Of Children

TRENTON, NJ — A former youth wrestling coach and referee from Brick Township has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of distributing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.

Alec Donovan, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court to one count of distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.

Donovan, who was a state champion wrestler at Brick Memorial, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 10, authorities said. The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, with up to 20 years in prison possible, and a $250,000 fine.

Donovan was arrested in August 2021 following an investigation that found he had sent three videos showing child sexual abuse using a messaging application. The video shares happened from January 2021 through March 2021, and he received two videos through the application. The videos showed sexual acts involving prepubescent children, authorities said at the time of his arrest.

He also used the web-based messaging application to solicit and engage in conversations with minors, including requesting nude photographs from the minors and sending nude photographs to them, authorities said.

Donovan had been a coach with Shore Thing Wrestling Club but had been barred from the club's premises in 2019, officials with Shore Thing said in 2021.

He never had a role with the Brick Township Schools' wrestling programs beyond his time as a student, district officials said. Donovan also never worked for the township Recreation Department's program, township officials said at the time of his arrest.

Donovan won the NJSIAA 145-pound championship in 2015 as part of the Brick Memorial High School wrestling team and went on to wrestle at Centenary University, where he qualified for the NCAA national championships as a junior.

Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI with the investigation that led to Donovan's guilty plea.