newjerseynewsroom.com

Operation Watchdog roundup includes a woman

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

27 New Jerseyans, including a woman, have been arrested as the result of a three-month statewide multi-agency child porn investigation.

Each of the 27 people is charged with distribution and possession of child pornography.

“Through aggressive, technology-driven investigations such as Operation Watchdog, we must banish the misguided notion that online viewing and sharing of child pornography is a victimless crime,” state Attorney General Chiesa said at a press conference in Hamilton Tuesday. “The vulnerable children who are tortured and degraded to create these vile materials are re-victimized every time another person views the images. Moreover, these offenders generate the demand that motivates suppliers to produce these odious images.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE IMAGES OF THE 27 CHARGED

The first arrest was Cesar Salgado-Maya, 23, of Audubon, who was picked up March 1, before the other targets of the operation when he was found to be living in a residence connected to a child daycare center. Salgado-Maya is being held in the Camden County Jail on $52,500 bail.

Bernard Cahill, 53, of Folsom, allegedly took photos while sexually assaulting a juvenile. The pictures were discovered during the search warrant. Cahill is also charged with sexual assault and manufacturing child pornography. Cahill is also being held in the Camden Jail on $150,000 bail.

William Brooks, 66, of Pennsauken, had his computer actively running a file sharing program with multiple child porn images when authorities arrived at his home. With a previous conviction in another state on his record, Brooks is lodged in the Camden Jail in default of $300,000 cash bail.

The woman is Jasmyn E. Oliver, 20, of Union. She was released without bail.

Also charged are:

Charles E. Jones, 50, of Morristown

Ryan Taylor, 27, of Lindenwold

Jeremy Gardner, 18, of Livingston

Joshua Kane, 31, of Wayne

Max Mejia, 46, of Atlantic City

A male juvenile, 17, of Moorestown

Lucas F. Walsh, 24, of Maple Shade

David Ingoglia, 36, of Byram

Scott Hersh , 43, of Mount Arlington

Brandon Sarna, 20, of New Brunswick

John T. Kondes, 56, of Bayonne

Andrew Rodriquez, 27, of Park Ridge

Collin Tillett, 29, of Hamilton, Atlantic County

Armondo Flores, 46, of Bridgeton

Robert Knapp, 47 of Old Bridge

Jose A. Velasquez, 20, of Clifton

Jasmyn E. Oliver, 20, of Union

Robert J. Rowe, 33, of Union

Joseph Marella, 42, of Passaic

Christopher Guzman, 32, of Camden

Asaf Guttman, 39, of Bloomfield

Jared Pacifici, 27, of Manalapan

Joshua Ferreri, 25, of West Berlin

John Mulligan, 41, of Ocean City

Flores, Guzman and Ferreri are being held on bail ranging from $15,000 to $250,000. Those not being held were released without bail.

Three people, whose names are not being released at this time, are still being sought.

“Those who thought they could hide their child porn crimes in the secrecy of their homes have been exposed by the relentless work of law enforcement working together,” State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes said. “We will continue to stand together -- as the name Operation Watchdog implies -- as guardians to protect children from those who would make them sexual victims.”

Detectives were able to link those arrested by their use of the Internet to download or distribute images of child pornography. There is a large library of images and videos known to law enforcement. The pictures are able to be traced in a number of ways, including their digital fingerprint, as they are passed through cyberspace.

Detectives then follow the file transfers to their origin and destination locations. Peer to Peer, or P2P, file sharing networks play a significant role in the distribution of child porn. Detectives, often with intricate undercover identities in the cyber-world, also monitor searches of these sites to develop suspects.

The Operation Watchdog investigation was coordinated by the State Police Digital Technology Investigations. More than 100 troopers, agents, detectives and officers from 21 law enforcement agencies took part in the investigation. Between April 9 and Friday, they executed search warrants in 26 different New Jersey towns.

The state Division of Criminal Justice will prosecute the cases.

“Let the word go out that those who share child pornography over the Internet are also sharing the evidence of their crimes with computer experts from law enforcement, who are patrolling the Internet to stop this tragic victimization of children,” Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor said. “The Division of Criminal Justice will continue to work hand-in-hand with the State Police and our other law enforcement partners to arrest such offenders.”

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, D.C. The center maintains a toll-free tip line to report crimes against children: 1-800-THE-LOST, or 1-800-843-5678. That tip line was responsible for bringing more than 900 leads to New Jersey authorities on sexual crimes against children.