New Jersey man sentenced to 78 months for distributing child pornography

NEWARK, N.J. — A northeastern New Jersey man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 78 months in prison for sharing images of child sexual abuse from his home computer.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Manuel Fernandez, 34, of Wayne, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to one count of distributing images of child pornography over the Internet.

According to documents and statements presented in court, Fernandez admitted that between March 2011 and January 2012 he was a member of an online peer-to-peer file sharing network, and that he made and shared images and videos of child pornography available for other members to download. On March 24, 2011, an undercover law enforcement agent successfully downloaded multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse from Fernandez’s computer.

On Jan. 25, 2012, federal authorities executed a search warrant at Fernandez’s residence where HSI special agents recovered computer equipment containing numerous images and videos of minor children being sexually abused.

As part of his guilty plea, Fernandez agreed to forfeit the computers and computer accessories he used to commit the offense. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. Upon completion of his prison term, Fernandez must also serve five years of supervised release.

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 10,000 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.