JACKSON — Atownship resident was arrested by federal agents on Feb. 9 and charged with using his home computer to distribute child pornography, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Frank J. Bognar, 30, of Jackson, was charged by complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography. Bognar was arrested after FBI agents and task force officers executed a search warrant at his home, according to a press release.
He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman in Trenton federal court. He was ordered released on $100,000 unsecured bond, conditioned on home confinement with electronic monitoring, no owning or use of computers and no contact with minors.
According to the complaint: As early as Oct. 27, 2011, Bognar downloaded and distributed videos and images of child pornography on the Internet via peer-to-peer file sharing software, through which others had access to the material on a shared drive.
The FBI seized a computer containing images depicting child pornography. The images downloaded by federal investigators from Bognar’s shared directories included photographs of prepubescent children engaging in sexual activity and being sexually abused.
At the time of Bognar’s arrest, Jackson police seized several weapons from the home, including a banned assault weapon, and charged Bognar under state law in connection with that weapon.
The charge of distributing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, and a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Fishman credited the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force in New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark, with the investigation leading to Bognar’s arrest. He also thanked the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford, and the Jackson Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Matthew D. Kunz, and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office task force officers, under the direction ofActing Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, for their assistance in the search.