Andrew Ramey, Possessing Child Pornography, New Jersey 2022

Brick Man Admits to Possessing Thousands of Images and Videos Depicting Child Sexual Abuse

TRENTON, N.J. – In a disturbing case, Andrew Ramey, 34, of Brick, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography, a federal crime with a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, along with a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss, whichever is greater.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Ramey downloaded and shared 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, from March 13, 2020, through June 8, 2020.

Law enforcement used investigative software to access the BitTorrent Network and downloaded video files containing images of child sexual abuse from a device or devices assigned to an IP address at Ramey’s residence. On Nov. 13, 2020, law enforcement searched Ramey’s residence and seized mobile phones belonging to Ramey. Analysis revealed the phones contained thousands of images and videos containing images of child sexual abuse, as well as BitTorrent software.

In a prior federal prosecution in 2018, Ramey was convicted of one count of possession of child pornography in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. This conviction makes Ramey a repeat offender, and the possession charge in the information carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, along with a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss, whichever is greater.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Atlantic City, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer; the Brick Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Riccio; and the Mount Laurel Police Department, under the direction of Chief Stephen Riedener, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton. Sentencing is scheduled for April 12, 2022.

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