Child Pornography Possession Charge Filed Against Morris Co. Man

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County man faces charges of possessing and distributing child pornography after his arrest this week, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Bryan Wesselius, 45, of Whippany, has been charged by complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, Sellinger said.

The US Attorney's Office was notified that between Sept. 2021 and May 2022, Wesselius distributed material containing video files of child sexual abuse through a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program that allows internet users to trade digital files, officials said.

The P2P program was then used by an undercover law enforcement officer to conduct online sessions. A user shared multiple files containing videos of child sexual abuse from an IP address traced to Wesselius' address during multiple sessions.

One file previously shared during one of those sessions was later recovered from one of Wesselius' electronic devices by police, Sellinger said.

Wesselius appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor via videoconference on Thursday and was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond, with home detention and electronic monitoring, police said.

The charge of distributing child pornography carries a minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum prison sentence of twenty years. Possession of child pornography carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years and a fine of $250,000.

The investigation was assisted by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, the Boonton Township Police Department, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, the Hanover Township Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service in Newark, according to officials.