By: Richard L. Smith
Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey reported today that an investigation into online child exploitation has resulted in the arrest of a Princeton Borough man.
According to officials, Mr. Oliver Diaz Pulex, 24, is charged with one count of second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and one count of third-degree possession of CSAM.
The complaint alleges he knowingly distributed an item depicting or portraying a minor in a sexually explicit manner while utilizing the internet or social media applications.
Detectives with the prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual in Mercer County had uploaded a file of suspected CSAM to the internet.
An investigation was initiated and Pulex was identified as a subject.
According to Morris County officials, on Friday, February 21, members of the prosecutor’s ICAC Unit, with assistance from the Special Victims Unit, the Economic Crime Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Mercer County Tactical Response Team, executed a search warrant at Pulex’s Princeton residence on Witherspoon Street. Detectives seized multiple items of evidentiary value.
Pulex was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Mercer County Correction Center.
Earlier Saturday afternoon, at an initial court hearing, a judge ordered him released pending future court appearances.
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit at (609) 989-6568 or mcposvu@mercercounty.org.