32-Year-Old Lakewood Man Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison For Sharing Child Pornography & Failing To Register As Sex Offender
Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 1:00 P.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
TOMS RIVER, NJ.- Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer reported, that on Friday, May 3, 2024, Matthew Robles, 32, of Lakewood, New Jersey appeared in Ocean County Superior Court and was sentenced by the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, J.S.C. to a term of seven years in New Jersey State Prison, with a five-year parole ineligibility.
The sentence is under a previously entered guilty plea in which Robles admitted to distributing digital images of Child Pornography. Judge Ryan sentenced Robles to an additional three years in New Jersey State Prison as a result of the guilty plea he entered to Failure to Register as a Megan's Law Offender. Judge Ryan ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
An investigation by Ocean County Authorities determined that Robles, a Megan's Law Registrant under the supervision of the New Jersey Division of Parole, had been employed at a local business in Brick Township, New Jersey without registering or notifying any law enforcement agencies of his place of employment. Under Megan's Law requirements, a certain offender must register with their local police departments whenever they move and/ or change their address or place of employment.
On July 26, 2022, Officers from the Division of Parole conducted a home visit and uncovered digital images of child pornography on Robles' cell phone. Robles was immediately taken into custody and was lodged in the Ocean County Jail on multiple parole violations. At that time, all of Robles' electronic devices were seized by law enforcement for forensic analysis.
Two days later on July 28, 2022, Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office High Tech Crime Unit executed a court-authorized search warrant on Robles' electronic devices that were seized. During the analysis, Detectives discovered that Robles had been uploading and sharing images of Child Pornography on the internet by the WhatsApp application.
On August 5, 2022, Robles was served with a complaint initially charging him with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. On August 8, 2022, Robles was served with an additional complaint charging him with Distribution of Child Pornography. Robles was originally lodged in New Jersey State Prison, and following the service of his parole violations, on July 25, 2023, Robles was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he was detained until sentencing.
FILED UNDER: MAY 7, 2024: LAW, LOCAL, OCEAN: