An Essex County man appeared before a federal judge on November 10 on charges that he produced and possessed images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
According to federal officials, Antonio Del Prado, 59, of Millburn, is charged by complaint with one count of production of explicit images of minors and two counts of possession of explicit images of minors.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In October 2020, law enforcement learned that Del Prado had uploaded 56 images and 18 videos of suspected sexual abuse of a minor to an internet-based cloud storage system.
Del Prado had actively participated in the production of explicit abuse of minors by giving instructions to another individual who was live-streaming a video of themselves assaulting a child. Law enforcement arrested Del Prado at his residence in Millburn on Tuesday.
The charge of production of explicit images of minors carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of explicit images of minors carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.