Monmouth County Man Charged With Distributing 100 Child Porn Files: Attorney General

NEPTUNE CITY, NJ — A Neptune City man has been charged with distributing child pornography after authorities traced 100 images to his computer, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said.

Steven Robinson, 48, of Neptune City, was arrested Thursday at his home by detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice, assisted by the Neptune City Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, according to a news release from Porrino's office.

Robinson was charged with second-degree distribution of child pornography and third-degree possession of child pornography and is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institute, authorities said.

Robinson was arrested as a result of an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau, Computer Analysis & Technology Unit, authorities said. A detective was monitoring an online file-sharing network that is popular with offenders who download and trade child pornography, authorities said.

Through advanced technology, the detective identified a computer address that was sharing child pornography, and, on three separate occasions, successfully downloaded a total of approximately 100 files of child pornography, authorities said.

The files included videos showing prepubescent girls being raped or being coerced into performing sexual acts on themselves or others, authorities said.

The computer address was traced to Robinson’s home in Neptune City and a search warrant executed there Thursday, with detectives arresting Robinson and seizing computer equipment, authorities said. The equipment was brought to the Division of Criminal Justice Forensics Laboratory in Hamilton, Mercer County, for a full forensic examination, they said.

“The tragedy of child pornography is that children are tortured and sexually exploited to supply the market for these vile materials, and they are perpetually re-victimized when these images are shared online,” Porrino said. “We’ll continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to arrest those responsible for these horrendous crimes.”

“With arrests such as this one, we’re putting those who share child pornography via the Internet on notice that their activities are being monitored by law enforcement and they will face serious punishment if caught,” said Elie Honig, director of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We want these offenders to know that the next search warrant we execute may be at their house.”

Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000, Porrino's office said.

Under the child pornography law signed by Gov. Chris Christie in 2013, distribution of 25 or more files of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum period of parole ineligibility of five years. The law imposes strict liability on internet file sharers, placing responsibility on the user for having child pornography in a “shared folder.” Whether or not the user knew he was sharing or any other user ever downloaded the file is irrelevant. If a defendant is convicted of possessing 25 or more files in a shared folder on his computer, he is subject to a mandatory minimum prison term of five years without parole.

In addition, under the new law, possession of 100 or more files of child pornography carries a presumption that the defendant will face a prison term of three to five years, whether or not the defendant has any prior criminal convictions.

If you have information about the distribution of child pornography on the Internet or suspect improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the Internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children, please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 1-888-648-6007.

Steven Robinson photo via New Jersey Attorney General's Office