A Pennington man who who had accumulated more than 50,000 files of child pornography on his computer devices and who attempted to grab a detective’s gun as a search warrant was being served on his home has been sentenced to five years in state prison.
Peifeng Meng, 45, of Pennington, was sentenced by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Darlene J. Pereksta on May 3. He had pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography and two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
Meng, whose five-year sentence includes two-and-a-half years of parole ineligibility, must register as a sex offender under Meagan’s Law. He will also be subject to parole supervision for life.
Meng’s cache of child pornography was discovered by a state Division of Criminal Justice detective who was monitoring a file-sharing network used by child pornographers. She identified a computer address that was sharing child pornography and trace it to Meng’s home.
Detectives from the state Division of Criminal Justice, accompanied by Hopewell Township police officers and U.S. Homeland Security investigators, carried out a search warrant at Meng’s home in December 2016.
As the search warrant was being carried out, Meng attempted to grab a handgun belonging to a Division of Criminal Justice detective. Two detectives stopped him from taking the gun, and police officers helped to subdue him. The detectives suffered minor injuries in the scuffle.
Investigators then seized Meng’s computer devices – two hard drives, a flash drive and a desktop computer. A forensic examination revealed more than 50,000 files of child pornography.
State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Meng’s extensive collection of child pornography “highlights the number of children who are cruelly exploited” to produce the material. He pledged to continue the crackdown on child pornographers so they cannot victimize children.
Veronica Allende, the director of the Division of Criminal Justice, said Meng’s attack on the detectives “created a dangerous situation that might have ended in tragedy” if it had not been for the “swift and effective response” by police officers at the scene.
Grewal and Allende said citizens who have information about the distribution of child pornography on the Internet, or who suspect someone of having improper contact with children via the Internet – should contact the New Jersey Intenet crimes Against Children Task Force’s tip line at 888-648-6007.