Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on June 15, 2026, Fabian Lugo-Sanchez, 28, of Barnegat, pled guilty to Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material before the Honorable David M. Fritch, J.S.C. At the time of his sentencing on October 2, 2026, the State will be seeking a term of 10 years New Jersey State Prison with a 10-year period of parole ineligibility.
This investigation was the result of a referral from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The ICAC Task Force received a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual was sending/receiving images of child pornography from the internet.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad identified an IP address associated with a Barnegat Township residence as the location from which the individual was accessing and sharing images of child sexual abuse material from the internet utilizing the Kik Messenger Application. That individual was ultimately identified as Lugo-Sanchez. Continuing investigation into Lugo-Sanchez’s Kik Messenger accounts revealed that he had shared over 1,000 items of child sexual abuse material.
On February 5, 2026, Lugo-Sanchez surrendered himself to Barnegat Township Police Headquarters in the presence of his attorney. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail and subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry who is handling the case on behalf of the State and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad, Barnegat Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation.