14 New Jersey Men Arrested In Child Pornography Sweep

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Two school bus drivers are among 14 men arrested in New Jersey in a child pornography sweep, WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported.

Listen to 14 New Jersey Men Arrested In Child Pornography Sweep

Authorities say 28-year-old Andrew Schreiner of Williamstown and 28-year-old Armando Nortez of Egg Harbor Township drove students in Mays Landing.

Elizabeth resident Jerell Harris, 28, and 74-year-old Arnold Kay, of Linden, were also among those arrested.

The men's occupations range from software engineer at an aerospace firm, to an executive at a healthcare company, according to Acting Attorney General John Hoffman.

"The common link is their depraved interest in viewing children being raped, being tortured," Hoffman said.

The arrests are part of "Operation Predator Alert," which launched in June 2013 and resulted in 14 prior arrests in October, Hoffman said.

Federal and state authorities say the men and other suspects used a file-sharing network to download and distribute child pornography on the Internet.

Authorities also accused 30-year-old Michael Van Culin of Salem County of hacking into a 16-year-old Canadian girl's email account and coercing her to strip on a webcam.

He's charged under the state's stricter child pornography law that carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Hoffman said that thanks to stronger child porn laws passed last year, a conviction of having more than 25 illegal images could land you at least five years in prison.

In May, federal authorities charged 71 people in the New York City area in what officials called one of the largest-ever roundups locally of people who anonymously trade child porn online.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.