FREEHOLD – An Ocean Township man is facing charges after he was found to be in possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges emanated with a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.
Christopher Lauria, 22, of Barbara Lane, Ocean Township, was arrested on Friday July 16, 2021 and charged with third degree possession of child sexual abuse material. Lauria is currently being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending a first appearance.
The arrest follows a 4-month investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit and its Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The investigation was sparked by a tip received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) from an online service company. NCMEC forwarded the tip to the New Jersey ICAC Regional Task Force before the referral was made to our Office for investigation. Also assisting in the investigation were the New Jersey State Police K-9 Unit’s electronics dog along with members of the Ocean Township Police Department, Monmouth County ICAC Task Force from Bradley Beach, Keyport, Tinton Falls Police Department and New Jersey Homeland Security.
The investigation revealed Lauria was utilizing a digital storage program and a social media platform to access images and videos of child sexual abuse. The investigation is ongoing.
If convicted of possession of child sexual exploitation material, Lauria faces a sentence of three to five years in prison and Parole Supervision for Life.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan.