Shocking List Of Defendants In Massive NJ Child Porn Bust

Seventy-nine child predators and child pornography offenders were arrested this week in a "massive" bust that netted a camp counselor, a police officer, a swim coach, an Air Force captain and a youth minister, among many others, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced Thursday in a release.

“Operation Safety Net,” a nine-month, multi-agency child protection initiative, targeted sex offenders who exploited the internet and social media, making arrests in every New Jersey county.

Those arrested included 10 “hands-on” offenders, including child predators who allegedly tried to have children transported interstate from New Jersey by adult traffickers so they could have sex with the children, according to the Office of Attorney General release.

Also arrested were four men in New Jersey who allegedly sought to lure children for sex; a camp counselor who allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl; a youth minister who allegedly sent lewd photos of himself to a young girl; and a man who used a phone app to record underage girls performing sex acts.

Those arrested also included numerous defendants, ranging in age from 14 to 75, who allegedly amassed or distributed large collections of child pornography, including a Trenton police officer, a swimming coach, a piano teacher, and an IT professional from Morris County who allegedly had over 138,000 files of suspected child pornography - possibly over 1 million.

They also included a mechanic from Mercer County who allegedly had more than 10,000 files of child porn, and three brothers in Cumberland County who allegedly had nearly 5,000 files of child pornography.

“The men we arrested lurked in the shadows of the internet and social media, looking for opportunities to sexually assault young children or to view such unspeakable assaults by sharing child pornography,” said Attorney General Porrino. “We set up a wide safety net in this operation to snare these alleged predators and to protect children, which remains our highest priority."

Operation Safety Net conducted proactive investigations to apprehend offenders by monitoring peer-to-peer file-sharing networks and identifying the IP addresses of individuals sharing child pornography, according to the release.

Detectives also conducted undercover chat investigations on social media platforms, which led to arrests of alleged hands-on offenders and defendants attempting to lure children.

Those arrested include:

• George Castillo, 36, of Inglewood, Calif., faces federal charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and production of child pornography, as well as New Jersey charges including first-degree conspiracy to commit child trafficking. Castillo allegedly solicited an undercover New Jersey State Police detective – who pretended to be trafficking children – to fly a 4-year-old girl to Los Angeles so he could sexually assault her. He also allegedly solicited an undercover police detective in Washington, D.C., who posed as a father, to bring his “daughter,” 9, to Los Angeles for sex at the same time the undercover from New Jersey was expected to arrive with the other girl, according to the release. He was arrested on April 4 at Los Angeles International Airport when he arrived to meet the girls and their adult escorts.
• Joseph Donohew, 26, of Brownsburg, Ind., is charged in Indiana with attempted child molestation. He allegedly offered money to an undercover New Jersey State Police detective whom he met on an instant messaging platform, to have sex with a 9-year-old girl. The undercover represented that he had a daughter, 9, and Donohew allegedly sent him $100 as a down payment to bring the girl to Indiana for sex. Donohew was arrested on July 13 at a gas station in Indiana, where he allegedly was to meet the father and girl. He had purchased a nightgown for the girl depicting characters from a Disney movie he believed was her favorite, according to the release.

Eight other defendants were arrested in New Jersey in Operation Safety Net on charges related to various types of alleged “hands-on” conduct, including sexual assault, luring a child, conveying obscene materials to a child, and manufacturing child pornography, according to the release:

• William Esker, 22, of Bayonne was charged Sept. 7 by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office with aggravated criminal sexual contact for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a girl, 14, over whom he had direct supervision as a camp counselor. He also is charged with providing obscene material to a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
• Donald Beckwith, 34, of Browns Mills is charged in Delaware with sexual solicitation of a minor and attempt to commit unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Beckwith, a captain in the Air Force stationed in New Jersey, met a girl, 14, through an online chat group for children and allegedly engaged her in sexual conversations, ultimately asking her to meet him in person. He allegedly met the girl twice in Delaware. The first time, he allegedly reached under her shirt and tried to touch her breast, and the second time he allegedly hugged her and repeatedly asked her to lie on a bed in the back of his vehicle and watch a movie with him. The New Jersey State Police arrested Beckwith on Aug. 16 in an investigation initiated by the Delaware State Police. Detectives allegedly found more than 10 nude images of an underage girl on his phone, according to the release.
• Michael DeBlock, 22, of Hopatcong, a youth minister, was arrested Oct. 10 and charged by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office with possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a child. DeBlock allegedly exchanged sexual photos and texts with a girl, 14, including a photo of his penis, according to the release.
• Brandon Morris, 24, of Hammonton was arrested Oct. 17 and charged by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office with manufacturing child pornography, endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct, conveying obscene materials to a child, and possession of child pornography. Morris allegedly engaged multiple underage girls in conversations on FaceTime, instructing them to perform sexual acts on themselves, which he recorded.
• A 17-year-old student from Bergen County, whose name is not being released due to his juvenile status, was arrested on Aug. 17 and charged by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office with manufacturing, distributing and possessing child pornography, as well as invasion of privacy. The juvenile allegedly had more than 1,000 files of suspected child pornography on his electronic devices, including video recordings he allegedly made by hiding his smartphone in a private bathroom in order to record underage boys who were nude, showering or urinating, according to the release.
• Craig Kirschner, 39, of Marlboro was arrested Aug. 21 and charged by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office with luring a child, attempted sexual assault of a minor and conveying obscene material to a minor. Kirschner allegedly solicited an undercover detective, whom he believed to be a 15-year-old male, to meet for oral sex. The detective was monitoring a mobile app when he encountered Kirschner. After the undercover detective identified himself as a 15-year-old boy, Kirschner allegedly sent him photos of an erect penis, asked him to meet for oral sex, and stated “I can be generous for your trouble,” according to the release.
• Isaac Toney, 40, of Trenton was arrested July 17 by the New Jersey State Police and charged with luring a child. He allegedly used a mobile app to solicit an undercover detective, whom he believed was a 14-year-old male, for oral sex. He was arrested at Veterans Park in Hamilton, Mercer County, where he allegedly was to meet the “boy” for a sexual encounter, according to the release.
• Robert Elmi, 63, of Gillette was arrested by the New Jersey State Police Nov. 9 and charged with luring a child. Elmi had placed an ad on Craigslist soliciting a relationship with a younger female. An undercover State Police detective responded, posing as a young girl and indicating to Elmi that she was 13. Elmi allegedly communicated with the “13-year-old” for several weeks by text and email, ultimately arranging to meet her at a diner. He allegedly told the “girl” he would take her back to his apartment, where they would drink, watch TV, kiss and perform oral sex on each other. Elmi was arrested by the State Police at the diner, according to the release.

Forty-one defendants are charged with second-degree distribution of child pornography, which carries a sentence of five to 10 years in prison, and 66 defendants are charged with third-degree possession of child pornography, which carries a sentence of three to five years in prison.

Out of the 41 charged with distribution, six are charged with distributing 25 items or more, and therefore are subject, if convicted, to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison under the strict child pornography law signed by Gov. Chris Christie in August 2013.

Out of the 66 defendants charged with possession, 25 are charged with possession of 100 or more items and are subject to a presumption of imprisonment under that law, even if they have no prior criminal record. More of the defendants may face those enhanced charges and penalties once full forensic examinations of their computers and electronic devices are completed, according to the release.

Those included:

• William Camargo, 48, of Millington, an IT professional, allegedly had more than 138,000 files of suspected child pornography, and possibly more than one million files (determination awaiting full forensic examinations of computer equipment);
• Callen Kapschock, 55, of Hamilton, Mercer County, a mechanic, allegedly had more than 10,000 files of suspected child pornography;
• Md F. Uddin, 43, of Elizabeth, an engineer, allegedly had more than 5,000 files of suspected child pornography;
• Kody Knotts, 22, of Millville, along with his two brothers (see immediately below), allegedly had a combined total of nearly 5,000 files of suspected child pornography;
• Alexander Knotts, 27, of Millville;
• Kyle Knotts, 23, of Millville;
• Laurence Duque, 42, of Dayton, South Brunswick, allegedly had over 4,000 files of suspected child pornography;
• Gregory Piszczek, 35, of Woodbridge, an IT professional, allegedly had over 4,000 files of suspected child pornography;
• Kevin Groeger, 63, of Cranford, a postal worker, allegedly had over 2,000 files of suspected child pornography;
• Pasquale “Charles” Albano, 75, of Point Pleasant, allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography; and
• Juvenile Male, 17, allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography.

The following 58 additional men were arrested in Operation Safety Net on charges of possession and/or distribution of child pornography:

• Paul Marinelli, 52, of South Brunswick, a Trenton police officer, charged with possession of child pornography.
• James Cutrone, 54, of Hazlet, a youth swim coach, charged with distribution of child pornography.
• Bryan San Andreas, 37, of Toms River, a piano teacher, charged with possession of child pornography.
• John Parsons, 50, of Vineland, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Donald Williams, 39, of Camden, charged with distribution of child pornography.
• Kevin Wenng, 35, of Cliffwood Beach, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Victor Kurynow, 58, of Bedminster, charged with attempted possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a minor.
• Paul Fuhs, 44, of Laurel Springs, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Ryan Stemetzki, 26, of Maple Shade, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Robert Ruff, 56, of Delran, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Robert King, 63, of North Wildwood, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Jason Locke, 42, of Manchester, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Stephen Slawinski, 60, of Morris Plains, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Herbert Ferreira, 43, of Dover, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Joseph Maruca, 26, of Berkeley Township, charged with possession of child pornography.
• James Gilbertson, 60, of Manchester, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Christopher Todd, 49, of Lyndhurst, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Alexis Gonzalez, 28, of Hackensack, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Raul Rodriguez, 33, of Jersey City, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Dhanendhran Govender, 32, of East Windsor, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Luis Pacheco-Loja, 30, of Belleville, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Robert White, 66, of Morristown, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Jonathan Latiff 40, of Jersey City, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Anthony Gerace, 43, of Egg Harbor Township, charged with distribution of child pornography.
• Antonio Baang, 26, of Galloway Township, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Richard Lake, 65, of Trenton, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Federico Flores, 29, of Rahway, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• James Agin, 69, of Westwood, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Fortino Rosales-Rodriguez, 22, of Oaklyn, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Justin Saavedra, 22, of Clifton, charged with distribution of child pornography.
• Daniel Braz, 39, of South River, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Nelson Cintron, Jr., 54, of Collingswood, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Michael Brown, 28, of Pennsauken, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Erik Baez, 38, of Sicklerville, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Larry Gonzalez, 45, of Elizabeth, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Erik Johnson, 49, charged by Union County Prosecutor’s Office with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Marco Biason, 68, of Dover, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Brian Neilson, 55, of Metuchen, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Thomas Smith, 54, of Woodstown, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Zachary Brawer, 31, of Paramus, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Brian J. Gardner, 74, of Nutley, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• John T. Ruffner, 37, of Lumberton, charged with possession of child pornography.
• John Skubiak, 62, of Deptford, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Nicholas J. Novak, 66, of Ocean Township, Monmouth County, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Eric MacAfee, 41, of Seaside Heights, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Jeison Padilla, 29, of Somerville, charged with possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a minor.
• Justin England, 31, of North Plainfield, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Eric Yourish, 61, of North Plainfield, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Christopher Dunham, 22, of Rockaway, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Justin Piccola, 23, of Randolph, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Nicolas Bencze, 36, of Maywood, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Michael Yosco, 70, of Garfield, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Male Juvenile, age 14, of Bergen County, charged with possession of child pornography.
• Julio Garcia, 29, of Bridgeton, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Joseph Lawitz, 34, of Hamilton, Mercer County, charged with possession of child pornography.
• James Livas, 22, of Hopatcong, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Robert Fuscarino, 27, of Hopatcong, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
• Donovan Roots, 19, of Pilesgrove, charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

“We charged 10 men with hands-on predatory conduct against children, including attempted interstate trafficking of children for sex, sexual assault, luring, sending obscene images to a child, or manufacturing child pornography,” said Porrino. “These cases highlight the fact that viewing child pornography is part of a continuum of deviant behavior that often leads to or drives other sex crimes.”

The arrests were spearheaded by the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The operation made use of a new electronics-sniffing dog, Mega, deployed by the State Police and a new mobile cyber forensics laboratory, both of which will be showcased at the press conference.

Operation Safety Net made extensive use of two key new tools: an electronics detection canine and a mobile forensics van. Both contributed greatly to the success of the operation, the release said.

As electronic devices become smaller and easier to hide, the importance of dogs trained to detect them increases. There are thumb drives available that are hidden in or disguised as cuff links, bracelets, LEGO blocks, coins and other everyday items. Throughout the operation, the canine was used at State Police and Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) search warrant scenes, the release said.

The canine was used for a preliminary walk-through and would identify devices and loose electronic storage media not in plain view. The detectives would then thoroughly search the area where that evidence was found to ensure all digital evidence was recovered.

Rapid triage of computers at search sites – also called forensic previewing – is a critical component of child pornography investigations. Such forensic previewing can result in the immediate arrest of individuals who otherwise might be left to continue direct illicit sexual contact with minors, preventing further abuse of victims, the release said. The previewing of computers at search sites has often had to occur in close proximity to the alleged perpetrator and often in potentially dangerous environments.

As an example, in the last operation, two DCJ detectives were hospitalized after the suspect at the search warrant scene attempted to gain control of one detective’s handgun, resulting in a dangerous struggle. To maintain the integrity of the evidence gathering process, it is important for the forensic examiner to have the proper equipment to work with and the proper environment to work in.

For these reasons, DCJ purchased a customized van, equipped with the appropriate desks and electrical and other equipment, which is used on-site for the forensic previewing of computers and computer-related equipment, the release said. This van enabled detectives in Operation Safety Net to safely examine suspected devices within the van and conduct more extensive previews at the scene, increasing the number of charges carrying enhanced penalties.

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