47°
Stephen Gifford of Medford Township entered a guilty plea on May 5 in Superior Court in Mount Holly to endangering the welfare of a child, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
Gifford formerly worked with children at a Jewish summer camp in Medford Township, according to earlier media reports.
Gifford admitted to guilty distributing child sexual assault material in exchange for a plea-bargained 10-year state prison sentence, Coffina said.
This is the second time Gifford pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, according to NJ Advance Media.
He was charged with possessing and distributing child pornography in January 2016, authorities said. At the time, he worked at a Jewish summer camp called JCC Camps at Medford.
“Gifford is...a ropes course instructor and maintenance worker at the JCC Camps at Medford,” a 2016 press release said. “He is also employed by Virtua Health System, where his duties include patient transport.”
Gifford is scheduled to be sentenced by Superior Court Judge Philip E. Haines on Aug. 4. He must serve five years of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole, Coffina said.
An investigation began last year after the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit received information about Gifford’s online activities from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The investigation found that Gifford shared more than 1,000 images and videos of child sexual assault material, Coffina said.
Multiple electronic devices were seized from his residence during the execution of a search warrant, the prosecutor said.
Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Weiler is handling the case.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Highland Lakes-Vernon and receive free news updates.
