New Jersey man indicted for sexual exploitation of a child

NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey man was indicted in federal court Thursday for coercing an underage family member to engage in sexually explicit conduct while he photographed the abuse.

This indictment resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Felix Restitullo, 40 of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, Restitullo resided with his mother who acted as caregiver to children, including a girl who is a member of Restitullo’s family. On March 13, 2014, as a result of an ongoing investigation into the sexual abuse of minor children, law enforcement officers interviewed the girl. During the interview, she told the officers that Restitullo had engaged her in sexual acts on prior occasions, which he photographed using a camera.

Restitullo was arrested that day by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office on charges of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of the girl. During the execution of a search warrant following the arrest, officers seized a camera, multiple computers and electronic storage media belonging to Restitullo. Approximately 13 images of child pornography, believed to be images of the girl’s sexual assault, were found on the storage media. Overall, officers found more than 1,500 images and 200 videos of child pornography, including images of child sexual abuse.

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

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. 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.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.