FRANKLIN TWP., N.J. – Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and Franklin Township Chief of Police Richard Grammar announced the arrest of four individuals, Mr. Sean Allen, 51, Ms. Marina Volz (formerly known as Matthew Volz), 30, Ms. Ashley D. Romero (formerly known as Adam Romero), 26, and Ms. Dulcinea Gnecco, 19, gall of Coburn Lane in Franklin Township, N.J., on charges including aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a minor (age 7, known to the defendants).
Prosecutor Robertson stated that these arrests were made after a five-month investigation conducted by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes/Minor Abuse Unit.
In January of 2019, the Prosecutor's Office received a referral from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) reporting that a 7-year old minor was residing in a home on Coburn Lane in Franklin Township, N.J., where Marina Volz (formerly known as Matthew Volz) and his roommates were creating explicit images of the minor.
Officials say on January 28, a search warrant was executed at the residence and it was discovered that the child was residing in the home where a pornography production company was being operated, exposing the child to sexually-explicit matter.
Electronic items, including cell phones and computers, were seized for forensic examination.
The minor was subsequently removed from the home by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in January 2019.
Prosecutor Robertson stated that during the examination and analysis of the electronic devices, several sexually-explicit photos and videos of the 7-year old victim were located.
Criminal complaints were signed against four of the residents of the home. The defendants and their charges are as follows:
1. Marina E. Volz (formerly known as Matthew L. Volz) – 1st degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, 1st degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor (for the manufacturing of Explicit Videos of Minors), two counts of 2nd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, 3rd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor (for the possession of child pornography)
2. Ashley D. Romero (formerly known as Adam D. Romero) – 1st-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, 1st degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor (for the manufacturing of Explicit Videos of a Minor), two counts of 2nd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor and 3rd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor.
3. Sean F. Allen – 1st-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, three counts of 3rd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor (one count specifically for the possession of Explicit Video of a Minor
4. Dulcinea Gnecco – 1st degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor (for the manufacturing Explicit Video of a Minor and 3rd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor
Officials say Wednesday, May 29, 2019, detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, along with detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department arrested the above-listed individuals at their Coburn Lane residence without incident. They were all transported to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office for processing and later lodged at the Somerset County Jail, pending a detention hearing.