WHARTON BOROUGH, NJ – A Morris County man was charged Friday with distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Anselmo Girimonte, 51, of Wharton is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography. He appeared by videoconference Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from Dec. 27, 2021, through Jan. 17, 2022, Girimonte distributed material containing images and video files of child sexual abuse, via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network of linked computers. Users must download the P2P program, which is widely available for free on the Internet. The program allows the user to place files into a designated “shared” folder on his or her hard drive, from which other P2P program users can then download those files directly to the “shared” folders of their own computers. Users can then browse, search, select, and directly download, those files. The program typically keeps a log of each downloaded event.
Law enforcement conducted an undercover online session to access the P2P program and to download nine video files containing child pornography from an IP address assigned to an internet service provider account associated with Girimonte’s residence. These files included multiple visual depictions of pre-pubescent children being sexually abused by adults.
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, Sellinger said.
