A Colts Neck man was sentenced on Nov. 18 to 14 months in prison for possessing sexually explicit images of a 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl with whom he had an online relationship, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Chad Weber, 23, of Colts Neck, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson to an information charging him with one count of possessing images of child pornography. Thompson imposed the sentence on Nov. 18 in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: In April 2013, law enforcement agents learned Weber had been communicating with a 12-year-old girl from Pennsylvania. The agents obtained and reviewed copies of various chat logs and other Internet-based messages which reflect Weber’s online communications with the girl between February 2013 and April 2013. Many of these communications were sexually explicit.
Weber and the girl also traded sexually explicit photographs of each other through the Internet and discussed the photographs in online chats. During some of these communications, Weber acknowledged the girl was 12 years old. Weber admitted possessing these sexually explicit photographs of the minor on his cell phone and computer, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.
In addition to the prison term, Thompson sentenced Weber to 10 years of supervised release. As part of his guilty plea, Weber must pay restitution of $5,570, forfeit the computer and cell phone he used to commit the offense and register as a sex offender, according to the U.S. Attorney.