TRENTON
– Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a South Jersey man
pleaded guilty today to charges that he molested a teenage girl while she was
sleeping and distributed child pornography on the Internet. The charges stemmed
from a child pornography investigation by the New Jersey State Police and the
Division of Criminal Justice.
Bernard
Cahill, 55, of Gloucester Township (formerly of Folsom), pleaded guilty to
second-degree charges of sexual assault and distribution of child pornography
before Superior Court Judge Albert J. Garofolo in Atlantic County.
Under the
plea agreement, the state will recommend that Cahill be sentenced to 14 years
in state prison. He faces seven years in prison for each of the two charges,
with the sentences to be served consecutively. Cahill will be required to
register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole
supervision for life.
In pleading guilty, Cahill admitted that he penetrated the
16-year-old victim sexually with his fingers while she slept. Deputy Attorney
General Naju R. Lathia prosecuted Cahill and took the guilty plea for the
Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau. Judge
Garofolo scheduled sentencing for Cahill for Sept. 12.
Cahill
initially was arrested in April 2012 in “Operation Watchdog,” a multi-agency
investigation led by the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal
Justice that targeted offenders who distributed known images and videos of
child pornography online. While investigating Cahill’s sharing of child
pornography online, investigators discovered sexually explicit images in his
computer that he had taken of a 16-year-old girl. Cahill lived in Folsom in
Atlantic County at the time of the criminal conduct.
The
state’s investigation revealed that, on multiple occasions, Cahill, who had
access to the girl’s home, touched and penetrated the 16-year-old victim
sexually with his fingers while she slept, and pulled aside her shorts or pulled
up her shirt to take photos of her exposed private areas. He also placed her
hand on his genitals while she slept. The investigation further revealed that,
beginning when the victim was 13, Cahill spied on her and photographed her
through her bedroom window while she was alone and naked.
The child pornography
charge relates to Cahill’s downloading and sharing of child pornography on the
Internet. A forensic review of his computer revealed approximately 1,000 images
and 300 videos of child pornography.
“Cahill
malevolently used his access to the home of an innocent teenage girl to
sexually assault her while she was asleep and utterly vulnerable to his
depraved conduct,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “We have ensured that
this child predator will face a lengthy term behind bars, where he can’t harm
other victims.”
“The
defendants we arrest for sharing child pornography on the Internet often
include offenders like Cahill who engage in additional predatory acts involving
the sexual exploitation of children,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division
of Criminal Justice. “When investigating child pornography, we will continue to
pursue all leads to identify and protect child victims and to prosecute any
crimes committed against them.”
“This
young woman was violated by Cahill on multiple fronts, not only when he
sexually assaulted her but also when he took explicit photographs of her to
share online,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey
State Police.
“This investigation and arrest should send a message that
predators like Cahill will not be able to use the anonymity of a computer to
hide from law enforcement.”
The
investigation was conducted by the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology
Investigations Unit and the Division of Criminal Justice Computer Analysis
& Technology Unit. Operation Watchdog was conducted in partnership with
other members of the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,
including the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and agents from ICE Homeland
Security Investigations and the FBI.
Acting
Attorney General Hoffman urged anyone who suspects improper contact by unknown
persons communicating with children via the Internet or possible exploitation
or sexual abuse of children to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against
Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.
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