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Herbert Bell, 58, of Ewing, was targeted by authorities after a State Police detective found 14 files of child sex abuse images shared from an IP address traced to him, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.
Detectives with the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, assisted by other members of the New Jersey Regional ICAC Task Force took Bell into custody during a search of his home in August 2018.
A search of a computer seized during the search turned up 3,000 files in all, Grewal said.
“By repeatedly sharing images of abuse, Bell is just as responsible for robbing the victims of their innocence and shattering the lives of their families as those who committed these unspeakable acts,” State Police Supt. Col. Patrick J. Callahan said.
Bell pleaded guilty on Sept. 23, 2019 to a second-degree charge of storing or maintaining child sexual abuse materials using a file-sharing program.
In addition to the overall five-year prison sentence, Superior Court Judge Darlene J. Pereksta required him to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.
Deputy Attorney General Thomas Huynh is handling the case for the state Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau.
“We are determined to seek substantial prison sentences for offenders like Bell, because the more they collect and distribute these abhorrent materials, the more they drive the terrible sexual abuse of young children,” Grewal said. “We will continue to collaborate across all levels of law enforcement to bring these criminals to justice.”
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ALSO SEE: Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives arrested an unemployed Garfield man Thursday for trafficking child porn.
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