Bergen County Man Charged with Distribution of Images of Child Sexual Abuse

 NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man was charged with distributing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Joseph Ganaro, 42, Lodi, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of distribution of child pornography. He appeared by videoconference today before U.S. District Judge Leda Dunn Wettre and was detained.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From Feb. 1, 2019 through Oct. 27, 2020, Ganaro received and distributed material containing images of child sexual abuse, via the BitTorrent Network, a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network of linked computers. Users must download P2P software, which is widely available for free on the Internet. The software allows the user to place files into a designated “shared” folder on his or her hard drive, from which other BitTorrent users can then download those files directly to the “shared” folders of their own computers. Users can then browse, search, select, and directly download, those files. The software typically keeps a log of each download event.

Law enforcement used special software to access the BitTorrent Network and downloaded 10 video files containing child pornography from an IP address assigned to an internet service provider account associated with Ganaro’s residence. 

The count with which Ganaro is charged carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years of in prison, a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina, and inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, with the investigation leading to today’s charges. He also thanked the Lodi Police Department for its assistance with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Calle of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force/Narcotics Unit in Newark.

The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.