Crime, Regional Interest

Prosecutor: Area 35-Year-Old Man Gets 8 Years for Child Porn Possession

A Monmouth County man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison after being convicted of possession on various electronic devices in his home of more than 1,000 items involving child pornography, Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia Alonso announced on Monday.  

Jose Gabe Veras, 35, was sentenced late last week by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley. The judge, during sentencing, ordered that upon release, Veras will have to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and also be subject to parole supervision for life.

The case background …

Initiated by a tip received through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an investigation into Veras’ activities was launched by the Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The investigation uncovered the child sexual abuse material (child pornography) on various electronic devices in his home. 

The New Jersey Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory assisted the ICAC Task Force in the investigation. Veras was arrested without incident at his home in Keansburg in February of 2020 and was indicted in October of 2021, then stood trial before Judge O’Malley in January of 2023, when he was convicted of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child for the possession of more than 1,000 items of child sexual abuse material.

The Monmouth County ICAC Task Force includes members of the following police departments: Aberdeen Township, Bradley Beach, Highlands, Holmdel, Howell, Keyport, Manalapan, Ocean Township, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Tinton Falls, and Wall Township; the Task Force also receives investigative support from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office