Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that a Hudson County man was sentenced to prison today in connection with successive arrests for possession of numerous files of Explicit Images of Minors, one in Ocean County in 2014 and one in Hudson County in 2016.
According to Andrew Bann, 31, of Bayonne, was sentenced to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Mirtha Ospina in Hudson County. Bann pleaded guilty on Oct. 23 to a charge of third-degree possession of 100 or more files of Explicit Images of Minors related to the Hudson County arrest, and a second charge of third-degree possession of Explicit Images of Minors stemming from the arrest in Ocean County.
The Ocean County indictment was transferred to Hudson County for a global resolution of the case.
A judge sentenced Bann to three years in prison on each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently. He will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will face parole supervision for life.
Detectives of the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit arrested Bann on Oct. 28, 2014 in Toms River, after detectives received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an individual who was uploading Explicit Images of Minors to his email account. The account was traced to Bann, who was found to have more than 60 files of Explicit Images of Minors on his laptop computer when he was arrested. Bann was facing an indictment charging him with possession of Explicit Images of Minors related to the Ocean County arrest when he was re-arrested in Bayonne on Oct. 4, 2016 by detectives of the State Police and Bayonne Police Department.
That arrest was the result of a second NCMEC tip regarding a user who was uploading Explicit Images of Minors to a file sharing and storage account, which again was traced to Bann. At the time of his second arrest, Bann possessed more than 100 files of Explicit Images of Minors on a tablet computer and electronic storage device.
“Even after he already faced criminal charges for possessing Explicit Images of Minors, Bann went right back to uploading this filth,” said Attorney General Porrino. “These offenders go to great lengths to satisfy their deviant desires, but we will go to much greater lengths to arrest them and seek justice for the children who are tortured and exploited in the creation and distribution of these abhorrent materials.”
“Andrew Bann had more than a hundred videos and images of abuse, cruelty, and sexual assaults against innocent children,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “The law enforcement community is placing these offenders on notice that we are actively working together to uncover their repulsive deeds and bring them to justice.”
Attorney General Porrino and Director Honig urged anyone with information about the distribution of Explicit Images of Minors on the Internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children online or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force tip line at 888-648-6007.