Former Juvie Officer, Lacey Man, Gets 7 Years For Child Porn

LACEY, NJ — A former juvenile corrections officer who lived in Lacey was sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday for distributing child pornography. Michael A. Ruggiero was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Ruggiero was a senior corrections officer at the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield, according to the Asbury Park Press. From April 16-19, he used a mobile chat app to distribute images and videos of child sexual abuse. Some had children younger than 12.

Ruggiero also received videos and images of child sexual abuse over the app. He had them on his cell phone when he was arrested June 2017.

The 38-year-old pleaded guilty in June to distributing child pornography. He faced between five and 20 years in prison.

The investigation began after Canadian law enforcement officials were contacted by Saskatchewan police about images they found on a cell phone belonging to a man they had arrested for parole violations, authorities said. The distributed images were eventually traced back to Ruggiero, according to the Office of Attorney General.

Authorities found 10 images and two videos had been distributed, apparently from a Bayville address and sent from a mobile phone traced back to Ruggiero, according to officials.

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