A Union County grand jury has returned a two-count indictment against a Cranford man accused of sharing images and videos depicting Explicit Images of Minors over the Internet, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Wednesday.
Eugene Jukniewicz, 48, is charged with second-degree distribution of Explicit Images of Minors and third-degree possession of Explicit Images of Minors.
A month-long investigation into Jukniewicz’s actions led by Detective Daniel Gallagher of the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit was initiated by a referral from the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force last fall, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Barnes, who is prosecuting the case.
The investigation revealed that Jukniewicz was obtaining and sharing computer files depicting a range of acts constituting Explicit Images of Minors, Barnes said.
Jukniewicz was arrested without incident at his home in December 2015, when investigators also seized a computer and a tablet containing more than 25 such computer files. State Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield set bail at $150,000, and he subsequently was lodged in Union County Jail.
Convictions on second-degree crimes of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of 5 to 10 years in state prison, with a minimum of five years to be served before the possibility of parole.