Burlington County Prosecutor's Office: Multi-Agency Initiative Yields Nine More Child Pornography Arrests

Press release from the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office:

June 2, 2021

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced today that nine more people have been charged as part of an operation targeting online predatory behavior and the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

The arrests were conducted as part of the BCPO’s Operation Safe Quarantine, which pursued those engaged in the online exploitation of children during the pandemic. The initiative resulted in charges against 46 offenders during the past 12 months.

Now that the restrictions put in place during the pandemic are being lifted, Operation Safe Quarantine will draw to a close.

“But rest assured, we will continue to investigate these offenders as aggressively as we have always done,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “The apprehension and prosecution of those who seek to exploit or harm children will remain a top priority. 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.”

The news of the latest charges coincides with the beginning of National Internet Safety Month.

“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,” Prosecutor 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.”

One resource Prosecutor Coffina encouraged parents to take advantage of is 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.

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

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.

All persons are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

2021-45 Nine Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

This press release was produced by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. The views expressed here are the author’s own.