Union County Man Gets 8 Years In Prison For Sharing Child Porn

ELIZABETH, NJ — A Union County man was sentenced to eight years in prison for sharing child pornography and storing more than 2,900 images and videos of child porn, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced.

Jerrel D. Harris, 32, of Elizabeth was arrested in 2014 as part of Operation Predator Alert, a multi-agency child pornography sweep that resulted in the arrest of 28 people in New Jersey who used a file-sharing network to distribute child pornography online, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced.

Harris was found guilty on Jan. 24 in a jury trial of second-degree distribution of child pornography, second-degree offering child pornography (storing or maintaining child pornography using a file-sharing program), and third-degree possession of child pornography.

Harris must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.

During the investigation, a video of a girl, believed to be 2 to 4 years of age, being raped by an adult man was found by authorities on a file-sharing network that was linked to an IP address and traced back to Harris, according to Grewal.

On July 14, 2014, a search of Harris' residence in Elizabeth found a laptop computer that contained more than 1,400 images and videos of child pornography, according to the report.

“By sharing child pornography online, this defendant made himself part of a distribution network that promotes and perpetuates the brutal sexual exploitation of children,” said Grewal. “Our multi-agency efforts to patrol the internet and put these offenders in prison are all about protecting children and ensuring justice for those who have been victimized.”

“Predators like this need to know that interagency cooperation ensures that such heinous activities like this are being constantly monitored,” said Brian Michael, acting special agent in charge for HSI, Newark. “HSI’s diverse investigative skills helped capture this individual, bringing him to much deserved justice.”

Anyone with information about the distribution of child pornography on the internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.