Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on February 28, 2024, Ricardo Espinoza Gonzalez, 23, of Jackson Township, was charged with Possession of Child Pornography.
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 cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual was uploading images of child pornography to the internet. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit identified an IP address associated with a Jackson Township residence as the location from which the individual was uploading the images to the internet. That individual was ultimately identified as Espinoza Gonzalez.
On February 28, 2024, Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Jackson Township Police Department, and Lakewood Township Police Department, executed a court-authorized search warrant on Espinoza Gonzalez’s residence in Jackson. An initial forensic examination of Espinoza Gonzalez’s cell phone by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit led to the discovery of several items of child pornography. Espinoza Gonzalez was taken into custody at his residence without incident. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Jackson Township Police Department, Lakewood Township Police Department, and New Jersey State Police ICAC Task Force, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Espinoza Gonzalez’s arrest.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
R.P.C. 3.6(b)(6).