Toms River Man Gets 70 Months In Jail For Child Porn Distribution

TRENTON, NJ — A Toms River man who ran several social media chat rooms where child pornography was swapped and discussed has been sentenced to 5 years, 10 months in prison in the case, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Tuesday.

David Nelson, 44, pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography in August 2018, admitting to leading several chat rooms dedicated to child pornography on the Kik application. He also had admitted that in October 2017 he sent "at least" 26 images of child porngraphy under the user name "candicesloan1995" to another Kik user, Carpenito's office said.

U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson sentenced him to 70 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.

Nelson was identified by FBI investigators in Louisville, Kentucky, following the arrest of a man who offered to broadcast the sexual abuse of his daughter over Kik Messenger to an undercover officer. A search of that man's cell phone revealed chat group communications between that man and another Kik user operating under the user name "candicesloan1995." Investigators later determined "candicesloan1995" was Nelson, Carpenito's office said, and Nelson was arrested April 9, 2018.

Carpenito credited FBI special agents of the Franklin Township Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory Ehrie in Newark, FBI special agents under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy S. Hess in Louisville, and FBI special agents under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Slater in Detroit, with the investigation leading to Tuesday's sentencing. He also thanked the Toms River Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Mitchell A. Little, for its assistance.

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