Lawrence Man Among 25 Defendants in Child Porn Ring

Duane Bell, 43, of Lawrence, was one of 24 men and a juvenile arrested in a kiddie porn ring that spanned 11 counties and the state. 

Bell was among two Mercer county residents arrested in the probe, called Operation Ever Vigilant. Along with the other 24 defendants, Bell was picked up in a multi-agency operation that ran from February 18 to 22. Also charged was Giovanni Jimenez, 37, of Trenton.

Operation Ever Vigilant itself three months ago, when the Digital Technology Investigations Unit of the State Police began searching out offenders who were making child porn available to other aficionados of the practice.

Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa characterized the digital child pornography as "vile" in a press conference held in Hamilton, near the Trenton state capitol.

"I won't mince words. The videos are largely the rape of young children," Chisea said. 

These files show pre-pubescent boys and girls being sexually molested by being penetrated, or by being coerced into performing sexual acts on themselves, or others, the Attorney General said.

One of the other suspects picked up in the sting was Stephen Rainone, 27 of South Amboy. Rainone is listed on the state’s sex offender Internet registry as a Tier 2 offender for sexual assault of girls under 13 years of age.

The 25 defendants came from all walks of life, Chisea said. Five of those arrested had direct contact with young children, including two defendants who are alleged to be regular babysitters. 

Four were in the country illegally, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) being involved in processing their arrests.

The one thing they all had in common was the possession and intention of distributing kiddie porn, Chiesa said.

The pornography was distributed through emails and online file sharing networks. In addition to videos involving child abuse, detectives also discovered disturbing sexually explicit videos portraying necrophilia and bestiality during the searches. 

Working with law enforcement partners in the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Operation Ever Vigilant integrated more than 50 troopers, agents, detectives and officers from dozens of law enforcement agencies, as well as county prosecutor's offices.  The task force executed a total of 25 search warrants in 25 different towns across the state, the AG's office said.