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Kevin M. Groeger, 64, of Carteret, was sentenced Friday to five years behind bars. He also must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to lifetime parole supervision, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.
Groeger was among 79 men seized statewide during “Operation Safety Net,” a multi-agency child protection operation led by the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
He cut a deal with state prosecutors and last fall pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography in exchange for a sentence more lenient than he’d have received had he been convicted at a trial.
Deputy Attorney General Layli Khelafa prosecuted Groeger and handled the sentencing for the state Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.
“By collecting and sharing thousands of videos and images of children being sexually assaulted, Groeger further victimized those children and contributed to the demand for these abhorrent materials,” said Grewal, the state attorney general.
“Operation Safety Net,” which concluded in November 2017, united agencies that included State Police, the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, all 21 county prosecutors’ offices and several other state, county and local law enforcement agencies.
Led by the New Jersey Regional ICAC Task Force, authorities found 10 accused child predators, eight New Jersey men and two men in California and Indiana who they said tried to have children transported interstate for sex.
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