Franklin Man Charged With Child Porn Distribution: Feds

FRANKLIN, NJ – A Sussex County man was charged with distributing videos and images of child sexual abuse this week, federal authorities said.

Gaetano Lapegna, 64, of Franklin, is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a statement. He appeared on Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond, Sellinger said.

Between December 2022 to March 2023, Lapegna distributed videos and images of child sexual abuse via a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program, according to case documents statements made in court.

Using the P2P program, an undercover police officer found hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse from an IP address traced to Lapegna’s address, federal officials said.

Following a search of Lapegna’s home on Thursday, law enforcement officers found at least two videos and 100 images depicting child sexual abuse on Lapegna’s thumb drive, as well as a computer running the same version of the P2P program.

The distribution of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, federal officials said.

Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, with the investigation leading to the charges, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and Franklin Borough Police Department for their assistance.