Crime & Safety

Belleville Man Accused Of Possessing, Distributing Child Porn

A Belleville man has been accused of possessing images of child sexual abuse and distributing them on the internet, prosecutors said.

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A Belleville man has been accused of possessing images of child sexual abuse and distributing them on the internet.

Mauricio Calderon, 49, of Belleville, was charged by complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced last week.

Prosecutors alleged:

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“Between March 2020 and April 10, 2020, Calderon used an internet-based application to distribute multiple graphic videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors. During the course of the investigation, Calderon publicly posted in a chatroom multiple videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, and also sent links that redirected to web-pages containing child pornography. Law enforcement discovered numerous videos and images of child sexual abuse on Calderon’s electronic devices when he was arrested at his home [on Sept. 24].”

The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.

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