TRENTON, N.J. – An Elizabeth, New Jersey, man was sentenced
today to 97 months in prison for using his home computer to distribute sexually
explicit videos and images of children, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito
announced.
Thomas J. Leonard, 36, previously pleaded guilty before U.S.
District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an information charging him with one
count of distributing child pornography. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence
today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements
made in court, Leonard admitted that he used the online peer-to-peer file
sharing program BitTorrent to obtain and distribute images and videos of
children engaged in sexual acts.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Leonard
to five years of supervised release and fined him $30,000.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI,
under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark,
with the investigation. He also thanked the Union County Prosecutor’s Office,
the New Jersey State Police, and the N.J. Regional Computer Forensics
Laboratory, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney
Veronica Allende of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Anyone with information regarding possible victims of this
activity is urged to contact the FBI in Newark at 973-792-3000.
Defense counsel: Rubin M. Sinins Esq., Springfield, New
Jersey
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