New Jersey man indicted for distributing videos of child sexual abuse over the Internet

NEWARK, N.J. – As the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a New Jersey man was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday for possessing and distributing images and videos depicting child sex abuse over the Internet.

William Rensing, 46, of Lincoln Park, N.J., was arrested July 27, 2011, and is currently in federal custody. He was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography.

According to court documents, HSI special agents executed a search warrant at Rensing's home July 27, 2011, and seized a notebook computer. A search of the computer revealed images and video of child pornography obtained from the Internet. Some of the images and video depicted children as young as 6 years old.

If convicted, Rensing faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of distributing child pornography.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI 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. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or its http://www.cybertipline.com.

HSI is a founding member and the U.S. representative of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

The charge and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.