TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that former New Jersey Assemblyman
Neil M. Cohen pleaded guilty today to a
charge of distributing child pornography,
admitting that he used computer equipment
in the 20th Legislative District office
to view, print and distribute images of
child pornography.
According
to Director Taylor, Cohen, 59, of Paramus,
pleaded guilty to second-degree endangering
the welfare of a child (distribution of
child pornography), a charge contained in
an indictment obtained by the Division of
Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Cohen
pleaded guilty this morning before Superior
Court Judge Gerald J. Council in Mercer
County.
Under
the plea agreement, the state will recommend
that Cohen be sentenced to five years in
state prison. In addition, he will be permanently
barred from any public employment or elected
office, and he will be required to register
as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.
“Mr.
Cohen, through his actions in viewing and
distributing child pornography, linked himself
to an abhorrent industry that preys on children,”
said Attorney General Dow. “Every
single person who willingly enters the criminal
network of suppliers and users of child
pornography becomes part of the tragic exploitation
and abuse of the innocent victims.”
In
pleading guilty in court, Cohen admitted
that he viewed images of child pornography
on a computer in the 20th Legislative District
Office in Union Township and printed copies
of images of child pornography that he placed
in the desk of a female receptionist in
the office.
“Not
only did Mr. Cohen access, print and distribute
child pornography, he did it in his legislative
office using equipment paid for by state
taxpayers,” said Director Taylor.
“He not only betrayed any standard
of decency, he betrayed the people of the
State of New Jersey.”
The
guilty plea was taken for the Division of
Criminal Justice by Deputy Attorney General
Anthony A. Picione, Deputy Chief of the
Corruption Bureau, and Deputy Attorney General
Christine Hoffman, Chief of the Corruption
Bureau.
The
charges are the result of an investigation
by the New Jersey State Police and the Division
of Criminal Justice. Judge Council scheduled
sentencing for July 12.
In
July 2008, the New Jersey State Police were
notified of child pornography found in the
20th Legislative District office. The State
Police and the Division of Criminal Justice
immediately commenced an investigation.
Detectives
from the State Police and Division of Criminal
Justice executed a search warrant to seize
the hard drives from the computers in the
legislative office. A review of the hard
drives yielded multiple images of child
pornography. The investigation revealed
that Cohen was the individual who viewed
and printed child pornography. Cohen was
first indicted by a state grand jury on
Dec. 17, 2008. That indictment was superseded
by a second indictment on July 9, 2009.
Cohen
served more than 16 years in the New Jersey
Assembly. He resigned from the Assembly
on July 28, 2008 after the investigation
became public.
The
investigation was conducted for the Division
of Criminal Justice by Sgt. David Salzmann,
Detective Michael Behar, Sgt. Warren Monroe,
Detective Harry Maronpot, and Deputy Attorney
General Anthony A. Picione in the Corruption
Bureau, and Deputy Attorney General Kenneth
Sharpe in the Computer Analysis and Technology
Unit.
The
investigation was conducted for the State
Police by Detective Sgt. 1st Class Bryant
Hoar, Detective Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Celli
III, Detective Sgt. Karl Ulbrich, Detective
Deniele DeBoer and Detective Anthony Carugno
of the Official Corruption Unit; Sgt. Charles
Allen, Detective Gregory Godish and Lt.
Keith Halton of the Digital Technology Investigations
Unit; and Detective Denman Powers of the
Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory.
If
you suspect that someone is using or distributing
child pornography on the Internet or suspect
improper contact by unknown persons communicating
with children via the Internet contact the
Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis
& Technology Unit Tip Line at 1-800-396-2310
or report it at www.njdcj.org.
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