NJ man behind sophisticated child abuse image network sentenced to prison

🔴 Mount Olive man sentenced to four years in prison

🔴 He used a torrent site to share child pornography

🔴 State records show he is eligible for parole next year

MOUNT OLIVE — A 62-year-old New Jersey man has been sentenced to four years in prison for operating a network to share child pornography with other users online.

Jose Lousa, of Mount Olive, was sentenced this past Friday, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

In May, Lousa pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree possession of child sexual abuse material. His plea came after a hung jury couldn't decide on a verdict following an April trial.

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If Lousa serves his full sentence, he will be released on July 9, 2028. However, he will be eligible for parole next year on Oct. 22, 2026, according to the state Department of Corrections.

When he is released, Lousa must register as a sex offender. He will also be subjected to parole supervision for life.

BitTorrent used to distribute CSAM

Prosecutors said Lousa used a torrent site called BitTorrent to share more than 1,000 files depicting child sexual abuse.

The file-sharing network allows its more than 2 billion users to upload and distribute images and videos.

Although it's illegal, people often use torrents to download copyrighted materials, such as movies and TV shows.

According to officials, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security detected Lousa's illicit network and tracked it to Morris County.

Investigators found Lousa was uploading the CSAM materials from his home in Mount Olive to the BitTorrent network, allowing anyone to download them.

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