SOMERVILLE, NJ (Somerset County) – A Somerset County man has been charged in relation to the distribution of child sexual abuse material, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
Allan Lopez Arrieta, 30, of Somerville, also known as Allana Arrieta, was charged with second-degree distribution of images depicting the sexual exploitation and/or abuse of a child, third-degree possession of images depicting the sexual exploitation and/or abuse of a child and fourth-degree tampering with evidence.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) notified the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office of several tips involving the upload and/or distribution of images of child sexual abuse material via online messaging applications, McDonald said.
An investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations/Computer Crimes Unit confirmed that the online messaging applications containing these images of child sexual abuse material were linked to Lopez Arrieta, McDonald said.
McDonald said that on Friday, July 12, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office detectives, along with officers from the Somerville Police Department, executed a search warrant at Lopez Arrieta’s residence.
Lopez Arrieta was arrested without incident at the residence and then lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing, McDonald said.
