State Employee From Haddon Township Used His Computer To View Child Pornography: AG

Haddon Township, NJ -- A suspended employee of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development who lives in the Westmont section of Haddon Township has been arrested on charges that he used his state computer to search for and view child pornography, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said on Thursday.

Authorities say Kevin Smith, 64, had more than 100 files of child pornography stored on optical disks and a thumb drive found in his cubicle at work.

He was charged with third-degree possession of 100 or more files of child pornography following an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit (DTIU) and the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.

Smith was an executive assistant in the Division of Income Security. He retired after he was suspended from his position in June. He was suspended after supervisors at the Department of Labor and Workforce Development received information that he allegedly was viewing inappropriate materials on his work computer.

After confirming suspicious files on his state-issued computer, they alerted detectives from the New Jersey State Police DTIU, authorities said. They seized thumb drives and optical disks from his computer and desk in his cubicle.

A forensic examination of Smith’s state computer revealed that Smith allegedly had conducted searches for child pornography on the computer, according to authorities.

Detectives obtained search warrants for the thumb drives and optical disks and reviewed them at the State Police Forensic Technology Complex in Hamilton.

They say a total of more than 100 files of child pornography were discovered on one of the thumb drives and several of the optical disks.

Smith was charged by complaint-warrant. He was lodged in the Camden County Jail with bail set at $50,000.

Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in prison. For most third-degree offenses, there is a presumption that first-time offenders will not be sentenced to prison under New Jersey sentencing guidelines, but the charge of possession of 100 or more files of child pornography carries a presumption that even first-time offenders will be sentenced to prison.

The attached image of Kevin Smith was provided by the Attorney General's Office