New charges accuse Morristown teen of leading child porn ring

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A 19-year-old Morristown man charged last December with sexually assaulting four girls between the ages of 14 and 18 now is accused of leading a child pornography network.

Ruben  Gonzalez was arrested on Monday based on material discovered on his cell phone, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll announced Friday in a joint statement with Morristown Police Chief Darnell Richardson.

Between Dec. 2, 2020, and Nov. 5, 2021, Gonzalez allegedly “conspired with others to lead a child pornography network, using the Telegram application to communicate and coordinate the distribution of child sexual abuse material,” Carroll stated.

Released in 2013 by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, Telegram is a free multi-platform app for chat, messaging, calls and video sharing that boasts strong encryption to protect privacy.  It has an estimated 550 million monthly users, according to Android Authority.

Investigators contend Gonzalez used his phone’s screen recording option to “secretly record and save sexual activity of the victims, without their knowledge or consent.”

Some of the victims were minors, the Prosecutor alleged.

New charges include first-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child; Leader of a Child Pornography Network, Possession of Child Pornography with Intent to Distribute, Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material, and eight counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, all second-degree offenses; and 11 counts of Invasion of Privacy and three counts of Computer Criminal Activity, third-degree crimes.

Gonzalez is being held at the Morris County Jail on the above charges and three Morris County indictments charging him with Aggravated Sexual Assault, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Criminal Sexual Contact and Invasion of Privacy, the Prosecutor said.

Morristown police and the Prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit worked the case.

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