By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Hudson County announced that on Friday, December 1, the Honorable Carlo Abad, J.S.C., sentenced Joseph Suarez, 32, to 15 years in New Jersey State Prison for an explicit internet crime involving juveniles.
According to officials, Joseph Suarez of West New York pleaded guilty to one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child/Facilitating Explicit Images of Minors on Friday, October 20, 2023.
Officials said Joseph Suarez must serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole and will be subject to Megan’s Law and Parole Supervision for Life.
The state was represented in this matter by Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Baginski.
Authorities say on January 10, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information that explicit images of minors were being created and shared through the social media platform Discord.
The investigation revealed Joseph Suarez communicated with a 13-year-old boy out of state and instructed him to provide images and/or videos of himself committing explicit acts on a 4-year-old girl, officials stated.
Following a court-authorized search of Joseph Suarez’s residence, over 1,000 files of explicit images of minors were seized.