New Jersey man indicted in state court for trading in child pornography

TRENTON, N.J. — A Camden County New Jersey man has been indicted on multiple state charges that he traded child pornography via the Internet.

This indictment resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice, assisted by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lindenwold (New Jersey) Police Department.

Andrew Derrickson, 50, of Lindenwold, New Jersey, was charged via a New Jersey grand jury with the second-degree crimes of attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13, attempted manufacturing of child pornography, distribution of child pornography (two counts), and storing or maintaining child pornography using a file-sharing program. He also is charged with third-degree possession of child pornography.

The investigation began in early 2014 when HSI initiated an investigation of individuals using Internet chat rooms to exchange child pornography. Derrickson allegedly engaged in an online chat with a special agent of HSI who posed as a mother with an 11-year-old daughter. During the chat, Derrickson allegedly agreed to send videos and images of child pornography in exchange for the “mother” arranging a webcam show of her daughter performing oral sex on her father.

On four occasions, Derrickson allegedly sent child pornography to the undercover agent, sending a total of approximately 75 videos and images of child pornography, including numerous images of prepubescent girls being sexually assaulted. He allegedly engaged in additional online chats with the agent in which he continued to request that she deliver the promised webcam sex show involving her daughter. Derrickson allegedly used a screen name during the chats, but investigators traced the Internet Protocol address associated with the name to Derrickson’s house in Lindenwold, where the investigating agencies executed a search warrant on Oct. 9, 2014 and arrested Derrickson.

“Although Derrickson was dealing with an undercover agent, this case starkly illustrates how offenders who view and share child pornography online are constantly seeking new materials and, in doing so, are willing to motivate the sexual abuse of new victims in a very direct way,” said Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman. “There can be no question that online trading of child pornography causes the exploitation of new victims, as well as the perpetual re-victimization of those abused in the past.”

“We charge that if things had been as Derrickson believed and as he attempted to arrange them, he would have had a minor perform a sex act with her father in exchange for numerous videos of child pornography Derrickson already had collected,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Fortunately, he encountered a federal agent in that chat room and not a like-minded offender prepared to instigate the sexual exploitation of yet another innocent child.”

A forensic examination of Derrickson’s computer revealed approximately 227 images and 925 videos of suspected child pornography. All of the videos and a majority of the images allegedly were in a designated “shared folder” on Derrickson’s computer, where they were readily available for any other user to download using file-sharing software. From January through September 2014, Derrickson allegedly distributed in excess of 100 suspected images and videos of child pornography to other Skype Messenger users.

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 $10,000. On the charge of distribution of child pornography, there is a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of five years if the defendant distributes 25 or more files of child pornography. For the charge of possession of child pornography, there is a presumption of imprisonment if the defendant is found to have possessed more than 100 files of child pornography.

Derrickson will be ordered to appear in court at a later date for arraignment on the charges. The indictment is merely an accusation and Derrickson is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Derrickson remains in the Camden County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.