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Arrested at his Hillsborough home

Gavin Swiatek, 49, a biochemistry instructor at Rutgers University Cook Campus in New Brunswick, was arrested late Tuesday afternoon at his home at his Hillsborough home and charged with distribution and possession of child pornography.

State Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said Wednesday that Swiatek used a computer in his university office to share hundreds of videos of child pornography over the Internet.

Swiatek is charged with second-degree distribution of child pornography and fourth-degree possession of child pornography. He is being held in the Middlesex County Jail with bail set at $50,000.

The arrest and charges are the result of an investigation by the State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit and the state Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis & Technology Unit.

“Those who view and distribute child pornography contribute to the tragic exploitation of children, because they fuel the demand that drives suppliers to produce these abhorrent materials,” Chiesa said. “The charges against this individual are very serious.”

“We want to send a powerful deterrent message to anyone who would consider linking themselves into the vile network of suppliers and users of child pornography,” state Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor said. “They will find themselves behind bars like this man. We will continue to partner with the New Jersey State Police to aggressively investigate and prosecute these cases.”

Troopers determined that a computer user on the Rutgers University campus was using peer-to-peer file sharing technology to make child pornography readily available to Internet users worldwide. The troopers, who were assisted by the Rutgers University police the university’s Office of Information Technology, traced the source of the child pornography to Swiatek's office.

Swiatek allegedly shared hundreds of files containing child pornography, mostly videos, using the peer-to-peer technology. State Police detectives seized Swiatek's university computer from his office. Investigators also executed a search warrant and seized a laptop computer and digital media from Swiatek’s home.

The investigation was led by Det. Paul Sciortino of the State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit and Deputy Attorney General Kenneth R. Sharpe.

Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of $150,000, while fourth-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison and a fine of $10,000. Because the charges are indictable offenses, they will be presented to a grand jury for potential indictment.

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM