A Cranford man has admitted to sharing images and videos depicting Explicit Images of Minors over the Internet, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Friday.
Eugene Jukniewicz, 49, pleaded guilty to second-degree distribution of Explicit Images of Minors before state Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield.
A month-long investigation into Jukniewicz’s actions led by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit was initiated by a referral from the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force last fall, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Barnes, who is prosecuting the case. The investigation revealed that Jukniewicz was obtaining and sharing computer files depicting a range of acts constituting Explicit Images of Minors, Barnes said.
Jukniewicz was arrested without incident at his home in December 2015, when investigators also seized a computer and a tablet containing more than 25 such computer files. Judge Caulfield set bail at $150,000, and he subsequently was lodged in Union County Jail.
Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for February 10, 2017, at which time Jukniewicz is expected to receive five years in state prison with no opportunity for parole until the expiration of that term, in accordance with a recently passed state law governing sentencing guidelines in such cases.