New Jersey

New Jersey Cop Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Porn

Will lose job on the force, faces jail time

What to Know

  • A New Jersey police officer pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography
  • Paul Marinelli, 53, of South Brunswick, pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of child pornography; Marinelli worked as a Trenton cop
  • Under the plea agreement, Marinelli could be sentenced to up to 180 days in county jail and probation; He will also forfeit his position

A New Jersey police officer pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography stemming from his arrest last year in the multi-agency initiative “Operation Safety Net,” state authorities announced.

Paul Marinelli, 53, of South Brunswick, pleaded guilty Friday to third-degree possession of child pornography, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.

According to Grewal, the investigation allegedly began when the State Police received information that emails containing child pornography were located in an iCloud email account maintained by Marinelli, who was suspended as a Trenton cop following his arrest and the subsequent investigation.

Prosecutors say that the State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit (DTIU) executed a search warrant at Marinelli’s home and arrested him on Sept. 6, 2017, after an on-site preview revealed images of child pornography on a hard drive.

Additionally, detectives seized computer equipment during the search including three laptops and USB flash and thumb drives, which were taken to the New Jersey Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory, where, allegedly, numerous images and three videos of child pornography on the computer devices were revealed.

Authorities say that the investigation did not reveal any evidence of distribution of child pornography by Marinelli.

Under the plea agreement, Marinelli could be sentenced to up to 180 days in county jail and probation. He will also have to forfeit his position on the police force.

According to the Office of the Attorney General, Marinelli was among 79 individuals arrested in “Operation Safety Net,” a multi-agency child protection operation conducted in 2017 by the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

Prosecutors say that 10 alleged “hands-on” offenders were arrested, including eight New Jersey men, as well as men in California and Indiana who allegedly tried to have children transported across states from New Jersey for them to sexually assault.

Contact Us