A Morris County man was arrested for distributing and possessing videos of explicitly abused minors, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on Thursday.
Federal officials said Mr. Bryan Wesselius, 45, of Whippany, is charged by complaint with one count of distribution of explicit images of minors and one count of possession of explicit images of minors.
He appeared by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond, with home detention and electronic monitoring.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2021 through May 2022, Wesselius distributed material containing video files of explicit abuse of minors via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program, which allows internet users to trade digital files.
An undercover law enforcement officer conducted online sessions using the (P2P) program. During multiple sessions, a user shared multiple files featuring videos of child sexual abuse from an IP address traced to Wesselius’ address.
Law enforcement officials later recovered one file previously shared during one of those sessions from one of Wesselius’ electronic devices.
The count of distribution of explicit images of minors carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.
The count of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.