NJ man pleads guilty to taking cellphone pictures while sexually abusing 2 children

NEWARK, N.J. — A northeastern New Jersey man pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to sexually abusing two girls and recording the conduct on his cell phone.

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

Justin Kinney, 26, of Newark, pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography. Kinney was previously arrested and charged by federal complaint on April 20, 2014. He is currently in state custody on similar charges.

According to court documents, on Oct. 25, 2012, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on Kinney’s laptop computer and cell phone, which revealed several files of child pornography that appeared to be taken with Kinney’s cellphone. Kinney admitted that two of the images, dated Aug. 19, 2012 and Oct. 10, 2012, were taken by him while he sexually abused two girls.

Each count of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Kinney’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept.

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.