South Jersey Man Offered Child Pornography for Online Sex Show: Cops

A South Jersey man has been indicted on charges he sent about 75 images and videos of child pornography via the Internet to an undercover federal agent posing as a mother who promised to arrange an online sex show involving an 11-year-old girl, authorities said.

Andrew Derrickson, 50, of Lindenwold, was indicted on second-degree crimes of attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13, attempted manufacturing of child pornography, distribution of child pornography (two counts), and storing or maintaining child pornography using a file-sharing program. He also is charged with third-degree possession of child pornography.

Derrickson was indicted following an investigation that began last year, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said on Wednesday.

Derrickson allegedly engaged in an online chat with a special agent of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) while HSI was investigating people who use Internet chat rooms to exchange child pornography.

Derrickson allegedly agreed to send videos and images of child pornography in exchange for the “mother” arranging a webcam show of her daughter performing oral sex on her father.

Derrickson allegedly sent child pornography to the undercover agent four times. The pornography allegedly included numerous images of prepubescent girls being sexually assaulted.

He continued to ask for the “mother” to arrange the online sex show.

Derrickson allegedly used a screen name during the chats, but investigators traced the Internet Protocol address associated with the name to Derrickson’s house in Lindenwold.

He was arrested on Oct. 9 when detectives executed a search warrant at his house.

A total of 227 images and 925 videos of suspected child pornography were allegedly discovered on his computer.

All of the videos and a majority of the images allegedly were in a designated “shared folder” on Derrickson’s computer, where they were readily available for any other user to download using file-sharing software.

From January through September 2014, Derrickson allegedly distributed in excess of 100 suspected images and videos of child pornography to other Skype Messenger users.

“Although Derrickson was dealing with an undercover agent, this case starkly illustrates how offenders who view and share child pornography online are constantly seeking new materials and, in doing so, are willing to motivate the sexual abuse of new victims in a very direct way,” Hoffman said. “There can be no question that online trading of child pornography causes the exploitation of new victims, as well as the perpetual re-victimization of those abused in the past.”

Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

On the charge of distribution of child pornography, there is a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of five years if the defendant distributes 25 or more files of child pornography.

For the charge of possession of child pornography, there is a presumption of imprisonment if the defendant is found to have possessed more than 100 files of child pornography.

Acting Attorney General Hoffman and Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice urged anyone with information about distribution of child pornography on the Internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the Internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.

The investigation was conducted by (HSI) Cherry Hill and the Division of Criminal Justice, assisted by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lindenwold Police Department.

The attached image of Andrew Derrickson was provided by the Attorney General.