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Thomas Vilanova, 50, of Howell also was sentenced to parole supervision for life under terms set down Wednesday by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Lourdes Lucas.
Vilanova's sentence will be served at the state's Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Avenel, accorrding to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.
Vilanova was classified as a repetitive and compulsive offender after an evaluation, Linskey said on Thursday.
An investigation by the Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, initiated by a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, resulted in Vilanova first being convicted of endangering the welfare of a child in July 2017, the prosecutor said.
As a condition of his guilty plea, Vilanova agreed to be monitored remotely whenever he was online, Linskey said.
In September 2020, a Monmouth County senior probation officer contacted Howell Township police to report that Vilanova may have downloaded child sexual abuse materials from his desktop computer at home, Linskey said.
Vilanova turned himself in to police the following month and pleaded guilty to that offense in June of this year, the prosecutor said, this time allegedly admitting to a violation of probation.
Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Stephanie Dugan and Kristen Anastos handled the case.
The Monmouth County ICAC Task Force includes members of the following police departments: Bradley Beach, Eatontown, Howell, Long Branch, Manalapan, Marlboro, Neptune Township, Spring Lake, Tinton Falls, Keyport, Keansburg, Belmar, Holmdel and Red Bank.
The Task Force also receives investigative support from police departments in Long Branch, Colts Neck, Highlands, Hazlet, Howell, Union Beach, Keansburg, Red Bank,West Long Branch, Ocean Township, Freehold Township and Freehold Borough, as well as the New Jersey State Police (Hamilton Barracks).
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