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Anselmo Girimonte, 52, of Wharton, has remained in federal custody since being arrested by special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security HSI's New Jersey Division last March.
A grand jury in U.S. District Court in Newark subsequently returned an indictment that contains more specifics, authorities revealed on Saturday, Jan. 14.
Over the course of three weeks beginning in late 2021, Girimonte “distributed material containing images and video files of child sexual abuse, via a publicly available online peer-to-peer file-sharing network of linked computers,” the indictment alleges.
Undercover agents accessed the network, on which they said “multiple video files of pre-pubescent children being sexually abused by adults” were shared from an IP address traced to Girimonte’s home.
Armed with a warrant, they seized a cellphone from the home that contained “hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, including images of prepubescent children being sexually abused,” the indictment charges.
Girimonte, previously of Madison and Bloomfield, had taught Italian in grades 3 through 8 in the Kearny School District beginning in 2006, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The federal indictment charges him with possessing and distributing child pornography.
Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security HSI's New Jersey Division with the investigation leading to the arrest and indictment, which charges Girimonte with possessing and distributing child pornography.
“HSI agents work every day with our partners to use our cyber capabilities and connect online personas to the real people hiding behind them,” HSI Newark Special Agent In Chare Ricky J. Patel said.
This ensures that people who “possess and distribute child sexual abuse materials face justice,” Patel said.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Rockaway Township police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service also deserve credit for their assistance, Sellinger said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea D. Coleman of his General Crimes Unit in Newark secured the indictment, he said.
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