Following last year’s’ arrest of 16 men charged with child pornography possession and distribution, one of the accused pleads guilty.
Dimas Zuniga, 45, of Roselle, was arrested March 22 of last year and has been in custody since. When Operation Safeguard officials searched his home, they were able to recover a hard drive that contained about 350 pornagraphic images and videos of minors.
Zuniga plead guilty to the second-degree charge of child porn distribution before Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh on June 5, 2017. His sentencing is scheduled for July14, where the state is expected to suggest 5 years in state prison. Upon release from prison, Zuniga is obligated to register as a sex offender and he will be subject to be under parole supervision for the rest of his life.
Under Operation Safeguard, New Jersey detectives and agents from Homeland Security work together to investigate online networks that allow for the sharing of child pornography. Using their technology they are able to trace back the “shared folders†to the people involved, not only distributing but downloading as well.
Elie Honig, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice released a statement making the intentions of Operation Safeguard clear, “While offenders like Zuniga might believe they can hide their abhorrent crimes in the privacy of their homes, we want them to know that their use of the internet places them directly in our sights.
All persons are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
