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Morris County man charged with distribution of child pornography

BOONTON, NJ (Morris County) – A Morris County man was recently arrested for distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

William Harbeson, 82, of Boonton is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court on Nov. 22 and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond, Sellinger said.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from May 2022 to September 2022, Harbeson distributed videos of child sexual abuse via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program. An undercover law enforcement officer conducted online sessions using the P2P program, during which a user shared hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse from an IP address traced to Harbeson’s address. Subsequent to a lawful search of his residence, law enforcement officers recovered at least 38 videos and 351 images of child sexual abuse on Harbeson’s hard drive.

The count of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.

Jay Edwards

Born and raised in Northwest NJ, Jay has a degree in Communications and has had a life-long interest in local radio and various styles of music. Jay has held numerous jobs over the years such as stunt car driver, bartender, voice-over artist, traffic reporter (award winning), NY Yankee maintenance crewmember and peanut farm worker. His hobbies include mountain climbing, snowmobiling, cooking, performing stand-up comedy and he is an avid squirrel watcher. Jay has been a guest on America’s Morning Headquarters,program on The Weather Channel, and was interviewed by Sam Champion.

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