A Monmouth Junction woman has been charged following an investigation into online child exploitation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
Patricia Figueroa, 43, was arrested Sept. 23 and charged with one count of second-degree possession of child sexual abuse material, Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey announced. She was released pending court appearances.
Detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit opened the investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual in Hamilton Township had uploaded multiple files of suspected child sexual abuse material. Figueroa was identified as a suspect.
Investigators from the prosecutor’s Special Victims, Economic Crime and Trial units, along with the New Jersey Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory and the South Brunswick Police Department, executed a search warrant at Figueroa’s residence.
Several electronic devices were seized, and she was taken into custody without incident before being transported to the Mercer County Correction Center.
If convicted, Figueroa could face five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at 609-989-6568. Anonymous tips can be submitted at mercercountyprosecutor.com.
Authorities also urged residents to report suspected inappropriate online contact with children to the prosecutor’s ICAC Unit or the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force tip line at 888-648-6007.
Figueroa is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
