Former Rutgers University Student Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography Over the Internet

Hongyu Wang

TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a former Rutgers University undergraduate pleaded guilty today to distributing child pornography over the Internet while a student at the university in New Brunswick.

Hongyu Wang, 21, of Piscataway, pleaded guilty to second-degree distribution of child pornography and fourth-degree attempted tampering with evidence before Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas in Middlesex County. 

Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Wang be sentenced to three to five years in state prison. He also will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s law.

Deputy Attorney General Naju Lathia took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis & Technology Unit. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 17 before Superior Court Judge Bradley J. Ferencz.

The New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigation Unit and the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) were investigating individuals who were using peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing software to share child pornography on the Internet in December 2011 when they downloaded child pornography via P2P file sharing from a computer that was traced to Rutgers University. Further investigation revealed the computer belonged to Wang.

When a detective approached Wang at the university on Jan. 26, 2012, he agreed to speak to the detective and ride with him to the apartment he shared with his parents, where the computer was located at the time. However, once at the apartment, Wang shoved his mother in front of the detective and ran toward his bedroom. The detective stopped Wang before he reached the computer, and it was later discovered that Wang had powerful magnets in his shoes that he intended to use to destroy all of the data on the hard drive of his computer. The detective obtained a search warrant and discovered a large number of child pornography files on Wang’s computer. 

A forensic examination of the computer revealed that Wang was sharing 230 child pornography videos at the time of his arrest. Rutgers expelled Wang after his arrest.

Deputy Attorney General Kenneth R. Sharpe presented the case to the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis & Technology Unit. 

The State Police and New Jersey ICAC were assisted in the investigation by the Rutgers University Police Department.