Burlington County Man Sentenced For Selling Child Porn: Police

A Burlington County man has been sentenced to six years in state prison for distributing child pornography online, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced on Friday.

John Wilms, 50 of Mount Holly, previously pleaded guilty to a second-degree charge of distribution of 25 or more files of child pornography, according to authorities. He was about to go on trial at the time.

In imposing the sentence on Wilms, Judge Philip E. Haines found aggravating factors based on testimony that the videos that involved extremely young victims, including infants, being subjected to extremely violent abuse, according to authorities.

Wilms will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life. He must serve three years of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

“This case starkly illustrates why child pornography falls under New Jersey’s child endangerment statute,” Grewal said. “By creating a market for these violent images of abuse, offenders like Wilms drive the further abuse and victimization of children.”

Wilms was one of 16 men in 14 towns who were arrested in "Operation Safeguard," a joint state and federal sweep targeting child porn, in February 2016. He was a driver for a parcel delivery service at the time of his arrest.

Wilms was arrested on Feb. 25, 2016, following the execution of a search warrant at his home by detectives and agents of the Division of Criminal Justice, HSI, and the Mount Holly Police Department who were participating in Operation Safeguard.

An HSI special agent previously had downloaded more than 25 files of child pornography from a shared folder at an IP address traced to Wilms, according to authorities. During the search, detectives seized a desktop computer and a laptop computer belonging to Wilms. Full forensic examinations of the computers revealed that they contained more than 180 files child pornography authorities said.

The joint operation by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and ICE Homeland Security Investigations targeted 16 men who used an online file-sharing network to download and distribute child pornography, including videos of young children being raped, according to authorities.

Everyone arrested in the operation were charged under New Jersey's 2013 child pornography law, which enhanced the penalties for those who possess, distribute or manufacture child pornography.

During Operation Safeguard, special agents of HSI and detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice and New Jersey State Police monitored several online file-sharing networks that are popular with offenders who download and trade child pornography. Using advanced technology, the investigators searched for telltale digital "fingerprints" of known child pornography, as well as search terms used by those who download and share child pornography, according to the release.

Through these and other methods, they identified New Jersey residents who were downloading child pornography and making child pornography available to others in "shared folders" on their computers.

Authorities urge anyone who has information about the distribution of child pornography on the internet — or who suspects improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children — to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.