Ocean County, N.J., Man Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Producing And Possessing Child Pornography

TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, N.J., man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for taking pornographic pictures of two minors, ages 6 and 3, in Pennsylvania, and distributing those pictures to other individuals between 2008 and 2010, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Dwayne Tucker, 26, of Bayville, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to an Information charging him with one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Pisano imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.

“The severe sentence imposed on this defendant is commensurate with the harm he caused his victims,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “As this case shows once again, so-called ‘child pornography’ is the recorded sexual assault of a child. The producers of this material are dangerous and must be treated accordingly by the judicial system.”

“This sentence should serve as a warning to those who seek to victimize and rob young children of their innocence,” said Andrew McLees, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Newark. “HSI will maintain its unrelenting commitment to protecting our children by bringing child predators to justice, a fact evidenced by the significant sentence which Tucker received.”

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

In addition to taking and distributing the pictures, Tucker admitted to possessing more than 600 images of child pornography on his computer and accessories, which were seized from his Bayville residence in December 2010. Tucker acknowledged that among the images of child pornography he possessed were images which depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct with other minors and adults, including material portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.

Tucker was previously charged by Criminal Complaint with possession of child pornography in December 2010, and by Indictment with distribution and possession of child pornography in February 2012. He has been in custody since his arrest in December 2010.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Pisano sentenced Tucker to lifetime supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agentsU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge McLees, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

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

Defense Counsel: Hal Haveson Esq., Princeton, N.J.