Former Union County Teacher Sentenced For Child Porn

NEWARK, NJ — A former history teacher at a charter school in Plainfield was sentenced for receiving and possessing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey said on Thursday.

Jack Wilder, 27 of Somerville, was sentenced to 78 months in prison after he pleaded guilty on Sept. 22, 2025 to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography in Newark federal court.

Around July 23, 2024, law enforcement carried out a search of Wilder's phone at an airport after he landed in New York following an international trip. They were able to find pictures and videos of minors that were of a sexually suggestive nature.

A week after his phone was confiscated, Wilder got a new phone and knowingly received more images and videos of child pornography until around May 1, 2025, authorities said.

He was arrested and charged in May 2025 with pornography charges, along with two counts of enticement of a minor.

The case was part of the Department of Justice's "Project Safe Childhood," a nationwide effort to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Additional information about the program can be found by visiting the DOJ website.

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