A 74-year-old area man has been found guilty of child pornography charges in connection with the findings of a 2017 investigation, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Thursday.
James Simmons, of Freehold Township, was convicted on Wednesday, July 20, of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, distribution of child sexual abuse material and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, possession of child sexual abuse material.
Upon sentencing, Simmons faces more than 10 years in a New Jersey state prison. He must also register for Megan’s Law, will be under parole supervision for life and will have internet restrictions when he is sentenced by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill O’Malley on January 13, 2023.
“I am grateful for the collaborative investigative efforts of my office’s detectives, Assistant Prosecutor Dugan, the NJ ICAC Task Force, and the Freehold Township Police Department for their work on this case. It is imperative that we continue to do all that we can to protect our most vulnerable citizens, our children, from being
Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey.
victimized in this way.”
The case background …
A July 2017 investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, along with NJ ICAC Task Force and the Freehold Township Police Department revealed that Simmons was found to be in a possession of a USB thumb drive with more than 100 videos depicting the sexual abuse of a child. Peer-to-peer file sharing programs were also recovered from electronic devices located at his residence on Harding Road in Freehold Township. The New Jersey Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory assisted in the analysis of the electronic devices recovered from his residence.
During the trial, Simmons had testified that the materials and files found belonged to his son, who had died prior to Simmons’ arrest.
— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
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