PRINCETON, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A New Jersey man was arrested on Friday after he allegedly distributed child pornography over the internet, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Oliver Diaz Pulex, 24, is charged with second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and third-degree possession of CSAM. According to the complaint, Pulex knowingly distributed an item portraying a child in a sexually explicit manner while using the internet or social media apps.
Detectives with the prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit were tipped off to the activity by the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children.
After learning that someone in Mercer County had uploaded a file of suspected CSAM, an investigation began and Pulex was identified as a subject. Investigators searched his Princeton home, located on Witherspoon Street, on Friday and seized “multiple items of evidentiary value,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Pulex was taken into custody without incident and transported to Mercer County Correction Center. He was released Saturday afternoon after an initial court hearing, pending future court appearances.
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit at 609-989-6568 or mcposvu@mercercounty.org.
Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta Marbrey urges anyone with information about suspected improper contact by individuals with children online, or the possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children, to contact her ICAC Unit at 609-989-6568 or the New Jersey ICAC Task Force tipline at 888-648-6007.
If you are a victim of sexual assault, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or online.rainn.org. New York State residents may call the New York State Domestic & Sexual Violence Hotline at 800-942-6906. New Jersey residents may call the Statewide Sexual Violence Hotline at 800-601-7200.