Sussex County Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Exploiting a Then-Four-Year- Old Child and Producing Child Pornography

NEWARK, N.J. – A Sussex County, New Jersey woman was sentenced in United States District Court to 20 years in prison in connection with the exploitation of a child and production of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.

“There are few crimes more disturbing than the sexual exploitation of a young child. As the defendant admitted in court, she preyed on an exceptionally vulnerable four-year-old child, produced images of that abuse, and then distributed those materials online for others to view and share.  This sentence reflects the extraordinary harm the defendant caused and demonstrates this Office’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and pursuing justice for victims who cannot protect themselves.”

- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer

“The victim here is the epitome of innocent; a defenseless four-year old. The egregious crime cannot be erased, but this sentence should show others who think they can exploit children, the FBI Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will track you down and you will be brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy.

Dominique Saczawa, 34, of Sparta, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court to production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, advertisement of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.  Judge Kiel imposed the sentence on May 18.

According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:

In August 2021, law enforcement determined that Saczawa had sexually exploited a then-four-year-old child by engaging in sexual contact with the child and then producing images and videos of that sexual contact.  Saczawa also shared these videos and images with others online.

Saczawa later admitted to running a group chat within an online messaging application in which participants discussed and shared content and images of child pornography.  As an administrator of this group, Saczawa solicited participants to share such content and participants would be expelled from the group if they did not share. The images Saczawa shared included images of toddlers potentially as young as one year old being sexually assaulted.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kiel also sentenced Saczawa to 15 years supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Frazer credited FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle M. Navarro of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark.

Defense counsel: Stephen Natoli, Esq.