James Paroline Admits to Downloading Child Porn in Monmouth County

James Paroline, 27, of Red Bank, New Jersey, admitted in federal court today to receiving sexually explicit images and videos of children on his home computer—material pulled directly from one of the darkest corners of the web: the child porn hub known as PlayPen.

Paroline pleaded guilty to Count One of an indictment charging him with receiving child pornography, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years behind bars, and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson accepted the plea in Trenton federal court.

At the time of the offenses, Paroline worked as an assistant at a nursery school and as a summer camp counselor at a private school in Monmouth County—positions placing him in direct contact with young children. Between February 26, 2015, and March 2, 2015, he accessed PlayPen using the username ‘jimbobtropolis,’ registered with his personal email address, and downloaded multiple files showing the sexual abuse of minors.

PlayPen was a notorious underground website and bulletin board dedicated exclusively to the sharing and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Hidden on the dark web, it attracted predators from across the globe before being dismantled by federal agents in a sweeping takedown operation.

The investigation was led by FBI special agents under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark. Support was provided by the Red Bank Police Department, Middletown Police Department, and detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Brendan Day of the Trenton Criminal Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 1, 2017. Paroline now faces federal prison time for crimes that exploited the most vulnerable—and betrayed the trust placed in him by the families of the children he was hired to care for.