New Jersey

Suspended New Jersey Deputy Facing Federal Charges in Teen Sex Case

What to Know

  • Suspended NJ sheriff's deputy accused of having sex with 17-year-old Pennsylvania girl and posting video online is facing federal charges
  • Joshua Padilla, 33 and of Eatontown, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of producing, distributing and possession child porn
  • Padilla was arrested in sting in which an agent posed as 14-year-old girl

A suspended New Jersey sheriff's deputy accused of having sex with a 17-year-old Pennsylvania girl and posting the video online is now facing federal charges.

NJ.com reports that 33-year-old Joshua Padilla of Eatontown was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pennsylvania on charges of producing, distributing and possession child pornography in relation to the video.

The Middlesex County officer, who was suspended without pay, was charged in eastern Pennsylvania's Northampton County in February with unlawful contact with a minor, obscene materials and child sex abuse.

State police say after a tip about the alleged 2018 sexual contact, Padilla was arrested in a sting in which an agent posed as a 14-year-old girl.

Federal court documents don't list an attorney; Padilla's attorney in the state case declined comment Monday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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