NJ state employee viewed child porn on his work computer, police say

WESTMONT — A  64-year-old former New Jersey state employee was arrested Thursday after investigators found that he was using his work computer to search for and view child pornography.

Kevin Smith of Westmont, allegedly had more than 100 files of child pornography stored on optical disks and a thumb drive found in his cubicle at work, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said in a statement Thursday. Smith, who was suspended from his job in June and subsequently retired, worked for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development as an executive assistant in the Division of Income Security.

According to the attorney general, Smith was suspended after his work supervisors learned that he was allegedly viewing inappropriate materials on his work computer. Investigators found suspicious files on the computer and contacted the NJ State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit.

Investigators also seized a thumb drive and optical discs along with Smith's computer. Forensic detectives later found that Smith allegedly conducted searches for child pornography on the computer. After search warrants for the thumb drive and discs were executed, more than 100 child pornography files were allegedly found.

As a result of the investigation, authorities said, Smith was charged with third-degree possession of 100 or more files of child pornography. He was arrested and is being held at Camden County Jail on $50,000 bail, police said.

According to the attorney general, most third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in prison with a presumption that first-time offenders will not be sentenced to prison under New Jersey sentencing guidelines. However, authorities say "the charge of possession of 100 or more files of child pornography carries a presumption that even first-time offenders will be sentenced to prison."

“Those who view child pornography online promote and create a market for the brutal sexual exploitation of innocent children,” Porrino said. “Smith’s conduct was especially egregious because he allegedly used a state computer to search for child pornography while on duty.  We’re making it a top priority to protect children by aggressively prosecuting all those who link themselves to the network of offenders who traffic in this filth.”

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.

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