Cedar Grove Man Admits Distributing Child Porn: Prosecutor

CEDAR GROVE, NJ — A Cedar Grove resident has admitted that he distributed “images of child sexual abuse” over the internet, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Samuel LaSala, 47, of Cedar Grove, pleaded guilty in a Newark federal court to one count of distributing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of New Jersey stated.

LaSala, who was employed as a computer programmer at a university in New Jersey, admitted that between May 2017 and January 2018, he possessed videos of child sexual abuse on his laptop computer and made those videos available for others to download via an online peer-to-peer file sharing network, prosecutors said.

LaSala admitted possessing "approximately 100 videos," which included images of prepubescent children, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors did not name the “university in New Jersey” where LaSala worked in a statement about the plea.

The count of distribution of child pornography to which LaSala pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years, and a maximum fine of $250,000. As part of his guilty plea, LaSala agreed to forfeit the computer he used to commit the offense. He will also be required to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22.

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