By: Richard L. Smith
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger reported that a Wharton, NJ man was sentenced Monday to 84 months in prison for possessing and distributing explicit images of minors.
Federal officials said Anselmo Girimonte, 53, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of Explicit Images of Minors and one count of distribution of Explicit Images of Minors.
Judge Neals imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From Dec. 27, 2021, through Jan. 17, 2022, Girimonte distributed material containing images and video files of Explicit Images of Minors via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program.
Law enforcement used undercover online sessions to access the P2P program. During these sessions, a user shared multiple video files of adults abusing prepubescent minors from an internet protocol address traced to Girimonte’s residence.
During a March 2, 2022, search of Girimonte’s residence, law enforcement found over 100 images and videos depicting Explicit Images of Minors, including pictures of minors being abused, on Girimonte’s cell phone.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Neals sentenced Girimonte to 10 years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $68,000 in restitution to the victims.