Comic Book Artist In W. Orange Distributed Child Porn: Prosecutor

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A comic book artist from Essex County admitted that he distributed thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse, federal prosecutors announced Monday.

Timothy Yates, 31, of West Orange, pleaded guilty before a U.S. district judge in Newark federal court to one count of distribution of child pornography. Yates was previously arrested and charged by complaint on April 4, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of New Jersey.

Prosecutors released the following statement about the charges:

"Yates is a comic book artist and the author of a comic book series which features a young female heroine on various adventures. Yates traveled to locations across the country to promote his work and attend comic book conventions, which were frequently attended by children. On several instances in 2016 and 2017, undercover law enforcement officers accessed a publicly available peer-to-peer network and observed a computer with a certain Internet Protocol address logged into the network that was sharing child pornography images and videos. The computer and IP address were associated with Yates. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence and discovered electronic devices belonging to Yates, which contained thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse."

The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2019, prosecutors said.

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