NEWARK — A Cranford man was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for distributing images of child sexual abuse over the Internet, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced.
Andrew Johnson, 30, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography.
Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements in court: Johnson admitted that on Dec. 7, 2012, he made available for others to download via an online peer-to-peer, file-sharing network images and videos of child sexual abuse that were stored on his home computer. An undercover law enforcement agent successfully downloaded from Johnson one image and 14 videos of child sexual abuse via the file sharing network.
As part of his guilty plea, Johnson agreed to forfeit the computers and computer accessories he used to commit the offense. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In addition to the prison term, Wigenton sentenced Johnson to serve five years of supervised release and pay restitution of $13,500.
Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron Ford in Newark; and the Cranford Police Department with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Alfonzo Walsman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.