Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a Middlesex County man who has two prior possessing explicit images of minor convictions resulting from arrests in 2006 and 2009 was sentenced to prison today on a new charge stemming from his arrest last year in “Operation Safety Net.”
Authorities say Kevin G. Wenng Jr., 36, of Old Bridge, was sentenced to five years in prison by Superior Court Judge Dennis V. Nieves in Middlesex County. He pleaded guilty on Aug. 2 to a charge of possession of over 100 files of explicit images of minors.
According to officials, Wenng already was registered as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. The judge ordered that he be subject to parole supervision for life as a result of this guilty plea.
Police say Wenng was among 79 child predators and offenders arrested in “Operation Safety Net,” a nine-month, multi-agency child protection operation. The operation was conducted in 2017 by the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is led by the New Jersey State Police and includes the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, all 21 County Prosecutors’ Offices, and many other state, county and local law enforcement agencies.
Ten alleged “hands-on” offenders were arrested in Operation Safety Net, including eight New Jersey men, as well as men in California and Indiana who allegedly tried to have children transported interstate from New Jersey so they could sexually assault them.
The New Jersey State Police, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and Old Bridge Township Police Department in My 9, 2016”7 arrested Wenng, after police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a user who uploaded numerous files to a cloud storage account. The account was linked to IP addresses that were traced to Wenng. The detectives seized a desktop computer and two cell phones from Wenng. A total of 119 images and 65 videos were found on the cell phones.
“Wenng has repeatedly linked himself to the network of offenders who drive the cruel sexual exploitation of children by collecting and distributing explicit images of minors,” said Attorney General Grewal. “We have put this recidivist offender behind bars and have ensured that he will face parole supervision for life.”
“In collaboration with the State Police and other law enforcement partners, we are working proactively on a daily basis to apprehend sex offenders by running down tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or monitoring peer-to-peer networks, mobile apps, and social media services used by these offenders,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We will continue to make these child protection efforts a top priority.”
“Wenng’s resolve to continually engage in the depraved world of online explicit images of minors is unmatched by our resolve to seek out and arrest those who willfully contribute to the sexual exploitation and torture of children to satisfy their own twisted impulses,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. “File sharing is just as damaging as the act itself, and the State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit and our partners will continue to make our mission to root out child predators paramount.”
In 2007, Wenng pleaded guilty to distribution of explicit images of minors and was sentenced to three years in state prison. He was required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of explicit images of minors and was sentenced to five years of probation.
Attorney General Grewal and Director Allende urged anyone with information about the explicit images of minors on the internet – or about suspected 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.