John Schulenburg of Basking Ridge shared images with what turned out to be an undercover detective in July 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Investigators raided Schulenburg's home four months later, seizing a computer that Sellinger said "contained hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including images of prepubescent children."
Schulenburg was previously convicted of similar charges in Somerset County in 2013.
Given his criminal history, Schulenburg took a deal from the government rather than risk what most likely would've been a life sentence if he was convicted at a trial.
Schulenburg pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Newark via videoconference on Jan. 9 to child endangerment through the possession of child pornography, the U.S. attorney said.
U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez scheduled sentencing for May 22, 2023.
Sellinger credited special agents with FBI Newark's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with the investigation leading to the guilty plea, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Barnes of his Criminal Division in Newark. He also thanked the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office for its assistance.
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