Holmdel Man Convicted of Child Porn Distribution Sentenced

A Holmdel who distributed child pornography over the Internet was sentenced on Friday to six-year prison term, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG) announced Friday in a press release.

John A. Dziegiel, 59, was among more than 40 people arrested in 2007 as part of a New Jersey State Police investigation called Operation Silent Shield, according to the release.

Dziegiel was on two counts of second-degree distribution of child pornography and one count of fourth-degree possession of child pornography following a three-week trial. Between July and September 2007, Dziegiel used file sharing software to make multiple files containing child pornography readily available for others to download, according to the OAG. On Sept. 27, 2007, members of the New Jersey State Police executed a search warrant at Dziegiel’s home and seized his computer, which contained hundreds of files of child pornography, the press release stated.

In addtion to the jail sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Richard W. English in Monmouth County, Dziegiel was ordered to pay a $2,500 criminal fine.

“Law enforcement has the technology to trace computer images of child pornography to those who send and receive them, and our courts have affirmed that storing images in a peer-to-peer network on the Internet will support a conviction for distribution of child pornography, ” said Stephen J. Taylor, director of the OAG’s  Division of Criminal Justice, in the press release. “Armed with that legal precedent and cutting-edge technology, we will continue to work with the State Police and our other law enforcement partners to put offenders like Dziegiel in prison.”

Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa urged anyone who has information about the distribution of child pornography on the Internet or who suspects improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the Internet, or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children, to please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 1-888-648-6007.