Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that a Union County man who possessed approximately 350 videos and images of Explicit Images of Minors pleaded guilty today to distributing Explicit Images of Minors on the Internet.
He was arrested last year in “Operation Safeguard,” a Explicit Images of Minors sweep conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice, ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the New Jersey State Police.
Dimas Zuniga, 45, of Roselle, pleaded guilty today to second-degree distribution of Explicit Images of Minors before Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh in Union County. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Zuniga be sentenced to five years in state prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.
In pleading guilty, Zuniga admitted that he knowingly used file-sharing software to make multiple files containing Explicit Images of Minors readily available for any other user to download from a designated “shared folder” on his computer. Zuniga is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14.
Through these and other methods, they identified New Jersey residents who were downloading Explicit Images of Minors and making Explicit Images of Minors available to others in “shared folders” on their computers.
Zuniga was arrested on March 22, 2016, when agents and detectives conducting Operation Safeguard executed a search warrant at his residence. A detective of the New Jersey State Police previously had downloaded videos of Explicit Images of Minors from a shared folder at an IP address traced to Zuniga.
During the search, detectives seized computer equipment belonging to Zuniga, including a hard drive that contained approximately 350 files of Explicit Images of Minors. The Roselle Police Department assisted in the operation. Zuniga was indicted on Jan. 19, 2017.
Attorney General Porrino and Director Honig urged anyone who has information about the distribution of Explicit Images of Minors on the Internet or who suspects improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the Internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.