By: Najla Alexander
NJ authorities announced that a Sussex County man admitted distributing videos and images of explicit images of minors.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger stated that Gaetano Lapegna, 65, of Franklin, pleaded guilty on March 5, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of distribution of explicit images of minors.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Officials stated that from December 2022 to March 2023, Lapegna distributed videos and explicit images of minors via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program.
During the course of the investigation, an undercover law enforcement officer conducted online sessions using the P2P program, during which a user shared hundreds of videos and explicit images of minors from an IP address traced to Lapegna’s address, officials said.
According to officials, subsequent to a lawful search of his residence on March 30, 2023, law enforcement officers recovered over 100 items depicting explicit images of minors on Lapegna’s thumb drive.
Officials say law enforcement also found that Lapegna’s computer was running the same version of the P2P program from which law enforcement downloaded explicit images of minors from Lapegna.
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, officials said.
Authorities say sentencing is scheduled for July 23, 2024.