FREEHOLD – A Monmouth County grand jury this week returned indictments against two defendants charged with crimes involving distribution and/or possession of child sexual abuse materials, bringing the total number of indictments of this kind over approximately the last month to eight, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Thursday.
Two of the eight defendants have been charged with first-degree crimes, the most serious applicable offenses under state law.
Indicted on Tuesday were:
- Jonathan W. Cruz, 38, of Aberdeen, arrested January 2020 and indicted on charges of first-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child via Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Materials using a File-Sharing Program Available to Others and first-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child via Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials; and
- Neil Ridgway, 58, of Howell, arrested April 2019 and indicted on charges of third-degree Endangering via Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials.
Indicted earlier this fall were:
- Michael Pipitone, 39, of Middletown, arrested in September 2020 and indicted on charges of first-degree Endangering via Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Materials using a File-Sharing Program Available to Others and second-degree Endangering via Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials;
- Charles Hoagland, 57, of Hazlet, arrested in November 2020 and indicted on three counts of second-degree Endangering via Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and one count of second-degree Endangering via Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials;
- David Eidman, 53, of Long Branch, arrested in November 2020 and indicted on two counts of second-degree Endangering via Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and single counts of third-degree Endangering via Possession and third-degree Attempted Endangering;
- Carl Aliwalas, 29, of Neptune Township, arrested in May 2021 and indicted for second-degree Endangering via Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and second-degree Endangering via Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials; and
- John Coluzzi, 33, of Manalapan, arrested in May 2021; and Marvin Diaz, 35, of Howell, arrested in November 2019; both were indicted for second-degree Endangering via Distribution and third-degree Endangering via Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials.
Additionally, earlier this fall, 40-year-old Kenneth Megill of Wall Township, arrested in January 2020, was indicted on charges of third-degree Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child and third-degree Attempted Obscenity to a Minor for allegedly engaging in inappropriate conversations with and attempting to show inappropriate materials to a juvenile.
Investigations into the actions of these defendants were conducted by members of the Prosecutor’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, working in tandem with representatives of local police departments in the jurisdictions in which the crimes took place. The cases are assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan.
The Monmouth County ICAC Task Force includes members of the following police departments: Bradley Beach, Eatontown, Howell, Long Branch, Manalapan, Marlboro, Middletown, Neptune Township, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Tinton Falls, Keyport, Keansburg, Belmar, Holmdel, and Red Bank; the Task Force also receives investigative support from the New Jersey State Police (High Tech Crime Bureau).
Convictions on first-degree criminal charges are commonly punishable by terms of 10 to 20 years in state prison. Second-degree convictions can result in terms of 5 to 10 years; third-degree convictions can result in terms of 3 to 5 years.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.