Monmouth County Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

TRENTON, NJ—Thomas P. Cook of Eatontown, New Jersey was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for possessing child pornography, including violent images of child victims, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Cook, 53, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to possession of child pornography. Judge Wolfson imposed the sentenced today in Trenton federal court.

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

Cook admitting using a computer in his residence to distribute child pornography from May 2010 to December 2010. He acknowledged that among the images of child pornography he distributed were images that depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct with other minors and adults, including material portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. The criminal images were brought to the attention of law enforcement by a tip from Microsoft’s social network portal known as Windows live Spaces.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Wolfson sentenced Cook to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Peter E. Warshaw Jr.; and special agents of the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Squad, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark, with the investigation that lead to the prosecution.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wolfe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.