Hudson County Man Sentenced After Telling Teen To Perform Sex Acts: Prosecutors

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A Hudson County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he allegedly asked a teen boy to perform sex acts on a 4-year-old, and shared child sex abuse material via Discord, prosecutors said.

Joseph Suarez, 32, of West New York was sentenced on Friday by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Carlo Abad to 15 years in New Jersey State Prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of endangering the welfare of a child/facilitating child sex abuse material, said the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Tuesday.

Prosecutors said that on Jan. 10, 2023, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information that child sex abuse material was being created and shared through the social media platform Discord.

The investigation determined that Suarez "communicated with a 13-year-old boy out of state and instructed him to provide images and/or videos of himself committing sex acts on a 4-year-old girl," prosecutors said.

Following a court authorized search of Suarez’s residence, more than 1,000 files of child sex abuse material were seized, prosecutors said.

Suarez must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole and will be subject to Megan’s Law — meaning he must register as a sex offender wherever he lives — and will receive parole supervision for life, said prosecutors.

The state was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Baginski.