New Jersey man sentenced to 5 years in prison for receiving child pornography

NEWARK, N.J. — A northern New Jersey man was sentenced on Tuesday to five years in prison for using a home computer to download hundreds of images of child sexual abuse.

The guilty plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the Boonton Township Police Department.

Lucas J. Reinmann, 35, of Boonton, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty, on Jan. 15, 2015, to one count of knowingly receiving images of child pornography over the internet.

According to court documents, Reinmann admitted that he downloaded images and videos of child sexual abuse from the internet to his computer using a peer-to-peer file sharing network. He also admitted possessing more than 600 images of child sexual abuse on his computers and USB drives, which were seized from his residence in July 2013.

The count of receiving images of child pornography over the internet carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, followed by a mandatory minimum of five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

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.