An Absecon man has been charged in connection with the distribution of child abuse images and videos via a social messaging application.
Officials say Mr. Stephen T. Costello, 41, was arrested without incident and lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a referral of inappropriate content distributed on the social media file-sharing application KIK.
A subsequent investigation led Atlantic County Prosecutor Detectives to identify Costello and determine he distributed over 1000 videos and images of child sexual exploitation.
According to officials, he was charged with a 1st-degree offense in reference to the distribution of child abuse images via a social messaging service.
Mr. Costello was also charged with 2nd-degree possession of child abuse images.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit was assisted by the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Absecon Police Department.