TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—A township of man was arrested and charged June 5 with distributing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jeffrey Laino, 37, was arrested at home, charged by complaint with one count of distributing child pornography. Laino made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor June 5 in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, the trafficked images of child sex abuse were part of a threat against the victim of that abuse.
In January an undercover officer conducted an online session using a publicly available peer-to-peer (P2P) program, which allows internet users to trade digital files. During this session, a user shared multiple files of featuring images of child sexual abuse from an internet address traced to Laino’s residence.
In February, law enforcement officers received information from a victim living in Ohio who was approached on the social media application Snapchat by an individual using a screen name that included “Jeff L.” In chats with the Ohio victim, “Jeff L.” stated that he was from New Jersey and had obtained nude pictures of the Ohio victim—taken when she was 14 to 15—by downloading them from the Internet.
The IP address of “Jeff L.” Snapchat user was assigned, at the approximate times the chats took place, to an account at Laino’s residence.
The count of distributing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Intrater of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
The charge and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.