TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a man who was arrested last year in the multi-agency child protection initiative “Operation Safety Net” was sentenced to state prison today for distributing child pornography on the internet.

Gregory Piszczek, 36, of Woodbridge, N.J., was sentenced to five years in state prison, including 2 ½ years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge Benjamin S. Bucca Jr. in Middlesex County. Piszczek pleaded guilty on Aug. 6 to charges of distribution of child pornography (2nd degree) and possession of over 100 files of child pornography (3rd degree). He will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.

Piszczek, who was employed as an IT professional, was arrested on Aug. 3, 2017, by members of the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  ICAC Task Force members executed a search warrant at his residence after detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice, while monitoring a peer-to-peer file sharing network, downloaded multiple files of child pornography from a shared folder at an IP address traced to Piszczek. Computer devices seized from Piszczek contained over 4,000 videos and images of child pornography.

Deputy Attorney General Marie McGovern prosecuted Piszczek and Deputy Attorney General Lilianne Daniel handled the sentencing for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.

“We will continue our collaborative and proactive efforts to arrest child pornography offenders, as long as children continue to be sexually abused to create these vile materials and offenders continue to re-victimize those children by distributing their images on the internet,” said Attorney General Grewal. “These crimes inflict terrible harm on the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“By seeking lengthy prison sentences – including mandatory minimum terms without parole – we send a message that we will prosecute these offenders aggressively using New Jersey’s tough child pornography laws,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Protecting innocent children from this type of sexual exploitation is a critical mission of our Division and its partners.”

Piszczek was among 79 child predators and child pornography offenders arrested in “Operation Safety Net,” a nine-month, multi-agency child protection operation conducted in 2017 by the New Jersey Regional ICAC Task Force, which is led by the New Jersey State Police and includes the Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, all 21 County Prosecutors’ Offices, and many other state, county and local law enforcement agencies. Ten alleged child predators were arrested, including eight New Jersey men, as well as men in California and Indiana who allegedly tried to have children transported interstate from New Jersey for them to sexually assault.

The cases are being prosecuted by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau under the supervision of Bureau Chief Julia S. Glass and Deputy Bureau Chief Jillian Carpenter. Attorney General Grewal commended all of the members of law enforcement who investigated for the Division of Criminal Justice, HSI-Newark, and the New Jersey ICAC Task Force.

Attorney General Grewal and Director Allende urged anyone with information about the distribution of child pornography on the internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.

Defense Attorney: David Jay Glassman, Esq., Marlton, N.J.

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