FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Two Monmouth County men have been sentenced to state prisons, one for distributing child sex abuse materials online while the other for committing sexual acts during an online video chat with a girl, prosecutors said Thursday.
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The two men were sentenced on July 29, the the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said as it announced 14 other men, ranging in age from 21 to 74, have been arrested since January for possessing child sex abuse materials on the internet.
John V. Catalano, of Freehold, was sentenced to five years after he pleaded guilty in February to endangering the welfare of a child by distributing child sex abuse materials. Officials said the 36-year-old will serve two-and-a-half years before being eligible for parole and will register as a sex offender.
In addition, Barton Cross-Tierney II, 32, has been sentenced to three years for endangering the welfare of a child and exhibiting obscenity to a minor. Prosecutors said the Ocean Township native used Discord to have inappropriate conversations with underage girls. He also committed sexual acts while in separate video chats with two girls.
One victim contacted the FBI tip line to lead authorities to Cross-Tierney, who went by the username "Barton Cross."
The prosecutor's office said a majority of these investigations came from CyberTips that were forwarded to their office by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Since 2020, around 550 CyberTips have resulted in a total of 77 arrests in Monmouth County.
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