Long Branch Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Kiddie Porn Charges

Donald Haring, 61, of Long Branch, pleaded guilty to federal charges of possession and distribution of child pornography today, before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Haring admitted that he knowingly used a computer from his home to share images and videos of child sexual abuse with other members of a publicly-available, peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Haring also admitted to possessing at least three videos and 600 images of child sexual abuse on his computer and other electronic devices.

Haring faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7, 2016.

During a search of Haring’s Second Avenue home on December 12, 2014,  Homeland Security agents found about 4,691 images and 75 videos of child sexual abuse on one of the devices they seized. The photos and videos depicted prepubescent girls and infants being sexually abused, according to court documents.

Haring remains free on a $100,000 unsecured bond which was set after his arrest on September 15, 2015.