9 Charged In Burlington County Child Porn Crackdown Amid COVID

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Nine Burlington County residents have been arrested as part of a massive crackdown on child pornography amid the coronavirus pandemic, authorities announced on Wednesday.

The arrests included that of a 26-year-old Marlton man who was accused of possessing child sexual abuse materials, sending inappropriate images to juveniles and illegal possession of firearms, according to authorities.

The most recent round of arrests brings to an end the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office’s “Operation Safe Quarantine,” but the crackdown on the online exploitation will continue, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said.

Altogether, 46 people were charged in the operation, which focused on the increase in the online sexual exploitation of children amid the coronavirus pandemic, Coffina said. With the lifting of restrictions that were put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the formal operation comes to a close.

“The apprehension and prosecution of those who seek to exploit or harm children will remain a top priority,” Coffina said. “I’d like to thank the members of our High-Tech Crimes Unit and our law enforcement partners for their devoted efforts toward keeping our children safe during a time when they were especially vulnerable to online predators.”

Those arrested as part of the final phase of Operation Safe Quarantine include:

• Erbin Isreal, 32, of Willingboro, who was charged March 29 with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree). Isreal is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material.

• Evan Seif, 25, of Palmyra, who was charged April 21 with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two Second Degree and one Third Degree). Seif is accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

• Alexander J. Bates, 19, of Mount Laurel, who was charged April 30 with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two Second Degree and one Third Degree). Bates is accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

• Mitchell Goroway, 22, of Mount Laurel, who was charged May 5 with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two Second Degree and one Third Degree). Goroway is accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

• Luis Fernandez-Whipple, 54, of Moorestown, who was charged May 7 with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two Second Degree and one Third Degree). Fernandez-Whipple is accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

• Colin Doty, 29, of Evesham, who was charged May 12 with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two Second Degree and one Third Degree). Doty is accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

• Robert Abramson, 22, of Mount Laurel, who was charged May 13 with one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree). Abramson is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material.

• Lewis Roberts, 26, of Evesham, who was charged May 27 with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree), Possession of Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines (Fourth Degree) and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Fourth Degree). Roberts is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, sending inappropriate images to juveniles, and illegally possessing a firearm.

• Ryan Christopher, 20, of Palmyra, who was charged June 1 with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two Second Degree and one Third Degree). Christopher is accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

“I urge all parents to be fully aware of the online activities of their children, and to become educated to the hidden threats that lurk in cyberspace,” Coffina said. “There are many resources available during National Internet Safety Month for parents to learn about the potential dangers of online communication. The most important resource, however, are our children themselves; there is no substitute for talking to our children about their Internet activity and having candid conversations about how to minimize the risks that someone would try to harm them through online contact.”

Coffina encouraged parents to take advantage of an online safety education program offered by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that helps children “become more aware of potential online risks and empowers them to help prevent victimization by making safer choices on- and offline.” The program, dubbed NetSmartz, can be found at https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home.

The investigations were spearheaded by the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit, with assistance from United States Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill Office, the Cinnaminson Township Police Department, the Evesham Township Police Department, the Moorestown Township Police Department, the Mount Laurel Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the Palmyra Borough Police Department and the Willingboro Township Police Department. HSI – Cherry Hill, and the Cinnaminson and Evesham police departments, have each assigned an investigator to work directly with the High-Tech Crimes Unit for an extended period.

The Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit, HSI – Cherry Hill, and the Cinnaminson Township Police Department are members of the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The BCPO also belongs to the New Jersey State Police Cyber Terrorism Task Force.