A Rutgers University instructor has been arrested on charges that he used a computer in his university office to share hundreds of videos of child pornography over the Internet according to newly sworn-in State Attorney General Jeff Chiesa.

Criminal Director Stephen Taylor says Gavin Swiatek, 49, a biochemistry instructor on the Rutgers University Cook Campus in New Brunswick, was arrested late yesterday afternoon at his home in Hillsborough by members of the New Jersey State Police. He’s charged with second-degree distribution of child pornography and fourth-degree possession of child pornography.

“Those who view and distribute child pornography contribute to the tragic exploitation of children, because they fuel the demand that drives suppliers to produce these abhorrent materials,” says Chiesa. “The charges against this individual are very serious.”

The New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit determined that a computer user on the Rutgers University campus was using peer-to-peer file sharing technology to make child pornography readily available to Internet users worldwide. They traced the source of the child pornography to Swiatek's office at Rutgers University. Swiatek allegedly shared hundreds of files containing child pornography, mostly videos, using the peer-to-peer technology. State Police detectives seized Swiatek's university computer from his office. Investigators also executed a search warrant and seized a laptop computer and digital media from Swiatek and from his home.

Taylor says, “We want to send a powerful deterrent message to anyone who would consider linking themselves into the vile network of suppliers and users of child pornography. They will find themselves behind bars like this man. We will continue to partner with the New Jersey State Police to aggressively investigate and prosecute these cases.”

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