Bergen County, New Jersey Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years for Distributing Child Pornography

CAMDEN, NJ—A Bergen County, N.J., man was sentenced today to 121 months in federal prison for distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Eric Prawetz, 26, of North Arlington, a former landscaper in Butler, Morris County, previously pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with distribution of child pornography. He entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez, who also imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Jan.11, 2010, law enforcement officers seized Prawetz’s laptop computer, which contained approximately 1,386 photographs and 232 videos of child pornography. The images and videos found on the computer included multiple depictions of prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct with other children and adults.

Prawetz admitted that he had been collecting child pornography for approximately 12 years and that he distributed child pornography via peer-to-peer software and through his multiple e-mail accounts.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez also ordered Prawetz to serve 15 years of supervised release. As part of his guilty plea agreement, Prawetz agreed to forfeit his computer, hard drive, and other electronic storage media he used to commit the offense.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, for the investigation of the case, and thanked the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for providing valuable assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mendelsohn of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division.

Defense counsel: Patrick McMahon, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark, N.J.