Art teacher arrested on federal child pornography charges

NEWARK, N.J. - An art teacher at a Cliffside, N.J., school for kindergarten through third-grade children was arrested Wednesday on charges of possession of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Paul Krosnick, 63, of Edgewater, N.J., was taken into custody at his residence by New Jersey ICE HSI agents. He was arraigned at the federal court in Newark, N.J. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo and released on a $100,000 bond.

According to court documents in the case, Krosnick's computer contained images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"Individuals engaged in any aspect of child pornography must understand the seriousness of their actions," said Peter T. Edge, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Newark. "The sexual exploitation of children anywhere continues to be a high priority for ICE HSI and we will use all of our investigative resources and expertise to eradicate this type of crime."

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.