BASKING RIDGE, NJ (Somerset County) – A Somerset County man Monday admitted possessing multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
John Schulenburg, 67, of Basking Ridge pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to a superseding information charging him with possession of child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, in July 2019, an undercover law enforcement officer conducted an online session using a publicly available peer-to-peer program, which allows internet users to trade digital files. During this session, a user shared multiple files featuring images of child sexual abuse from an internet address traced to Schulenburg’s residence. On Nov. 6, 2019, law enforcement lawfully obtained a computer from Schulenburg’s residence that contained hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including images of prepubescent children.
Schulenburg was previously convicted of endangering the welfare of a child/possession of child pornography in Somerset County in 2013, Sellinger said.
For a repeat offender, the charge of possession of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine, Sellinger said.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 22, 2023.
