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Detectives were conducting an online investigation to identify individuals possessing and sharing child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing network in September 2020, when Xing Jian Ge, 23, was identified as a potential subject, the Montgomery County DA's Office said.
A specific IP address that had shared 32 child porn files from Sept. 1 to Sept. 21 using a direct connection was traced to Ge's house in Horsham, DA Kevin R. Steele said.
A review of the files found that they contained photos of children engaged in sexual acts or in sexually explicit poses, Steele said.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Ge's home in January, in which 1,049 video files and 264 images of child pornography were found on a computer tower and hard drive, Steele's office said.
Of those files, more than 100 showed indecent contact with children, including children under 5 years old being sexually assaulted, the DA's office said.
Ge was arrested and charged with 50 felony counts of possessing child pornography, six counts of distributing child pornography and criminal use of a communications facility.
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Harry Nesbitt, who set bail at $100,000, with additional conditions of no nefarious internet usage and no contact with minors.
Ge posted bail and was released. A preliminary hearing was set for 11:15 a.m., April 15, 2021 before Judge Nesbitt.
Major Crimes Detectives of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, along with specially trained and sworn detectives from police departments in Montgomery County, routinely work with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to protect children from Internet predators by aggressively and proactively investigating Internet crimes that exploit children.
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