A Westfield man has been arrested and charged with multiple crimes for having thousands of images and videos depicting explicit acts involving minors, acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan announced Wednesday.
Officials say, Gregory L. Brown, 37, of Westfield was charged with first-degree possession of explicit images of minors with the intent to distribute, second-degree possession of explicit images of minors, and two counts of second-degree distribution of explicit images of minors.
Officials say a months-long investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit resulted in the charges against Brown, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Derek Nececkas, who is prosecuting the case.
Through a thorough forensic search of multiple Tumblr social media accounts associated with Brown and multiple electronic devices belonging to him, including a mobile phone and a damaged tablet, more than 4,000 files depicting various sexual acts involving minors were recovered by the Prosecutor’s Office’s High Tech Unit, Nececkas said.
Police arrested Brown without incident at his home early Wednesday morning and lodged in Union County Jail pending a first appearance and detention hearing.
Convictions on first-degree criminal charges are commonly punishable by 10 to 20 years in state prison, while second-degree convictions can result in 5 to 10 years.
These criminal charges are mere accusations.
Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.