Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a Camden County man has been indicted on charges that he sent approximately 75 images and videos of child pornography via the Internet to an undercover federal agent posing as a mother, in the belief that the “mother” would arrange for a webcam sex show for him in which her 11-year-old daughter would perform oral sex on her father. The Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau yesterday obtained a state grand jury indictment charging Andrew Derrickson, 50, of Lindenwold, with the second-degree crimes of attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13, attempted manufacturing of child pornography, distribution of child pornography (two counts), and storing or maintaining child pornography using a file-sharing program. He also is charged with third-degree possession of child pornography. The indictment stems from an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cherry Hill and the Division of Criminal Justice, assisted by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lindenwold Police Department. The investigation began in early 2014 when HSI initiated an investigation of individuals using Internet chat rooms to exchange child pornography.
Derrickson allegedly engaged in an online chat with a special agent of HSI who posed as a mother with an 11-year-old daughter. During the chat, Derrickson allegedly agreed to send videos and images of child pornography in exchange for the “mother” arranging a webcam show of her daughter performing oral sex on her father. On four occasions, Derrickson allegedly sent child pornography to the undercover agent, sending a total of approximately 75 videos and images of child pornography, including numerous images of prepubescent girls being sexually assaulted. He allegedly engaged in additional online chats with the agent in which he continued to request that she deliver the promised webcam sex show involving her daughter. Derrickson allegedly used a screen name during the chats, but investigators traced the Internet Protocol address associated with the name to Derrickson’s house in Lindenwold, where the investigating agencies executed a search warrant on Oct. 9, 2014 and arrested Derrickson. A forensic examination of Derrickson’s computer conducted at the FBI’s Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory in Hamilton revealed approximately 227 images and 925 videos of suspected child pornography. All of the videos and a majority of the images allegedly were in a designated “shared folder” on Derrickson’s computer, where they were readily available for any other user to download using file-sharing software. From January through September 2014, Derrickson allegedly distributed in excess of 100 suspected images and videos of child pornography to other Skype Messenger users. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. On the charge of distribution of child pornography, there is a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of five years if the defendant distributes 25 or more files of child pornography. For the charge of possession of child pornography, there is a presumption of imprisonment if the defendant is found to have possessed more than 100 files of child pornography. Derrickson remains in the Camden County Jail with bail set at $100,000. Acting Attorney General Hoffman and Director Honig urged anyone with information about distribution of child pornography on the Internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the Internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to please contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.