Paterson New Jersey police recently arrested a registered sex offender accused of possessing and distributing child pornography on his computer.

According to the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect was previously prohibited from using any computer without first obtaining authorization from law enforcement officials. The Passaic County Internet Crime Unit found out that the suspect was reportedly using his personal computer to download and share child pornography files over the Internet.

Passaic County Internet Crime Unit detectives started an investigation into the suspect’s alleged illegal activity, with the investigation lasting roughly two months. Police eventually determined that the suspect may have violated Megan’s Law sex offender registration requirements and the terms of his release from prison by using a computer to download 31 files of illicit sexual images of minors. The sexualized images of children were reportedly found on the suspect’s computer, which was seized from his home by Passaic County detectives.

The 29-year-old suspect, who lives in Paterson, NJ, was arrested in December 2006 and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a minor. The victim in that sexual offense case was under the age of 18 but older than 13. After reaching a plea deal with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office in 2009, the suspect was sentenced to significant time behind bars in New Jersey State Prison.

The suspect’s eventual release from prison came with certain conditions. For example, the suspect had to undergo mandatory supervision by police until June 2020. Additionally, the suspect was placed on parole for the remainder of his life, with one of the parole requirements including a stipulation that the suspect could only use a computer and access the Internet by first getting authorization from a parole supervisor.

The suspect’s alleged violations of the sex offender registration requirements and the terms of his parole could lead to significant prison time. Additionally, the suspect faces severe criminal penalties if he is convicted on the new charges for possessing child pornography, distributing child pornography, and maintaining a file sharing program for the purpose of storing child pornography.

After being arrested and charged, the suspect was ordered held at the Passaic County Jail in Paterson, NJ.

For further information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Sex Offender Caught with Child Porn in Paterson, Sheriff Says.”