Pennsylvania man shared images of children on p2p file-sharing network

Pennsylvania man shared images of children on p2p file-sharing network

HORSHAM TWP, PA – Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy and Horsham Township Police Chief William Daly announce the arrest of Xing Jian Ge, 23, of Horsham, for possessing and distributing child [censored]ography and related charges.

In September 2020, detectives were conducting an online investigation to identify individuals possessing and sharing child [censored]ography using a peer-to-peer file sharing network.

Through the investigation, a specific IP address was located that was sharing child [censored]ography files. From Sept. 1 to Sept. 21, 32 image files were downloaded using a direct connection. A review of the image files found that they contained photos of children engaged in sexual acts or in sexually explicit poses.

Subscriber information for the IP address was traced to the defendant’s residence in Horsham. On Jan. 22, 2021, a search warrant was served on the residence and numerous electronic devices were seized, including a computer tower and hard drive that were found to contain 1,049 video files and 264 image files of child [censored]ography.

Of those files, more than 100 showed indecent contact with children, including children under 5 years old being sexually assaulted. Ge was arrested and charged with 50 felony counts of possessing child [censored]ography, six counts of distributing child [censored]ography and criminal use of a communications facility. He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Harry Nesbitt, who set bail at $100,000, with additional conditions of no nefarious internet usage and no contact with minors. The defendant posted bail and was released.

A preliminary hearing was set for 11:15 a.m., April 15, 2021 before Judge Nesbitt.

Major Crimes Detectives of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, along with specially trained and sworn detectives from police departments in Montgomery County, routinely work with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to protect children from Internet predators by aggressively and proactively investigating Internet crimes that exploit children.