Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that the former chief of the Audubon Park Volunteer Fire Company in Camden County was sentenced to state prison today for using a computer at the fire station to share explicit images of minors online using a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.
John Terruso, 46, of Marlton, former chief of the Audubon Park Volunteer Fire Company, was sentenced to six years in state prison, including three years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge John T. Kelley in Camden County.
Terruso pleaded guilty on May 30 to charges of second-degree distribution of explicit images of minors and third-degree possession of 100 or more files of explicit images of minors. He must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life. He also is permanently barred from public office and employment.
In pleading guilty, Terruso admitted that he knowingly used Internet file-sharing software to make multiple files of explicit images of minors available for any other user to download from “shared folders” that he controlled on a computer at the fire station on Road C.
Police arrested Terruso on June 10, 2015 at the fire station, where investigators executed a search warrant and discovered more than 1,000 files of suspected explicit images of minors on computer equipment used by Terruso.
The investigation began when a special agent of HSI was monitoring a file-sharing network and identified an Internet Protocol address, ultimately traced to a computer at the fire station, which had explicit images of minors available in a shared folder, including videos of prepubescent girls engaging in sexual acts with adult males, as well as videos of prepubescent boys engaging in sexual acts with other boys and adult males. Further investigation revealed Terruso was the person using the computers to share explicit images of minors.
“A fire chief is supposed to be a guardian of public safety and a person children look up to, but Terruso instead used his position and public equipment to participate in the cruel exploitation of children by distributing explicit images of minors,” said Attorney General Porrino.
Attorney General Porrino and Director Honig urged anyone with information about distribution of explicit images of minors on the Internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the Internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.