Former Netcong fire department captain sentenced to prison for distribution of child pornography
MORRIS COUNTY, NJ – A former Netcong Borough volunteer Fire Department captain has been sentenced to prison for distribution of child sex abuse material, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
James T. Hess, 50, of the Landing section of Mount Arlington Borough, has been sentenced to New Jersey State Prison in connection with the distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Carroll said.
Honorable Judge Ralph E. Amirata, J.S.C., sentenced Hess on Aug. 11 to three years New Jersey State Prison, with registration under Megan’s Law upon release. Hess previously pled guilty on April 11 to one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child – distribution of CSAM.
The investigation began with a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) referencing the upload of video files, allegedly depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of minors, Carroll said.
Hess was found to have uploaded the CSAM video files to Kik, an internet-based chat application. He did so while at the Netcong Volunteer Fire Department, where he was a captain at the time, Carroll said.
The Roxbury Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted in the investigation.
