Manville, New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing More Than 600 Images of Child Pornography

NEWARK, NJ—A Somerset County, New Jersey, Vehicle Maintenance Department mechanic pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography, admitting he had more than 600 criminal images, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

James Artfitch, 52, of Manville, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Stanley Chesler to one count of an Indictment charging him with possession of child pornography.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made during Artfitch’s guilty plea proceeding:

On April 7, 2009, law enforcement officers seized a computer hard drive from Artfitch’s residence, which contained images of child pornography—including multiple images of prepubescent minors.

Artfitch admitted to possessing over 600 images of child pornography and storing them on his computer. Artfitch also acknowledged that his offense conduct involved distribution of images of child pornography to an individual who he believed was under 18.

At sentencing, scheduled for October 7, 2010, Artfitch faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Chesler will consult the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining the sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, for the investigation of this case.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Randall Cook of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.