NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man was arrested for transporting and possessing videos and images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Edward M. O’Hagan, 49, of Hawthorne, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.  He appeared this May 22, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court and was detained.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Jan. 19, 2023, O’Hagan used one of his email accounts to send video files containing images of child sexual abuse to himself. He also used two email addresses to create accounts on an encrypted file storage platform that was used to upload or create files containing images of child sexual abuse. The email accounts he used to access the platform were associated with an IP address that traced to O’Hagan’s address.

The count of transportation of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. The count of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the arrest. He also thanked the Hawthorne Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Knepper, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the Criminal Division in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Original source can be found here.