Gloucester Township Man Avoids Jail Time In Child Porn Case

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gloucester Township man who previously admitted that he used an instant messaging app to communicate with whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl during the coronavirus pandemic has been sentenced to parole supervision for life, authorities announced.

Jason McCann, 36 of the township’s Blackwood section, will also be placed on the New Jersey sex offender registry, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced.

But McCann, previously pleaded guilty to third-degree attempt to commit endangering the welfare of a child - impairing or debauching the morals of a child, avoided jail time during last week’s sentencing. Read more here: Blackwood Man Pleads Guilty In Child Pornography Sting: Police

When McCann pleaded guilty in March, the deal called for three years of jail time. However, the Hon. Philip E. Haines, J.S.C., decided to issue a noncustodial sentence instead, according to authorities. No reason was given for the judge’s decision.

McCann was one of 15 people arrested in February as part of a massive crackdown on child pornography amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here: 15 Arrested In Child Pornography Crackdown Amid COVID: FBI

He was arrested because he sent pictures of his genitals and a video of himself masturbating to an undercover detective posing as a teenage girl, according to authorities.

McCann also attempted to meet the girl for sex at a park in Bordentown Township, according to authorities.

During the quarantine, there was a dramatic increase in Internet traffic that resulted in increased opportunities for sexual exploitation of children online, according to authorities who launched the crackdown in March 2020.

Altogether, 46 people were charged in the operation, which focused on the increase in the online sexual exploitation of children amid the coronavirus pandemic, Coffina said. The operation concluded in June. Read more here: 9 Charged In Burlington County Child Porn Crackdown Amid COVID

Coffina encouraged parents to take advantage of an online safety education program offered by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that helps children "become more aware of potential online risks and empowers them to help prevent victimization by making safer choices on- and offline." The program, dubbed NetSmartz, can be found at https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home.

The investigations were spearheaded by the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit, with assistance from United States Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill Office, the Cinnaminson Township Police Department, the Evesham Township Police Department, the Moorestown Township Police Department, the Mount Laurel Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the Palmyra Borough Police Department and the Willingboro Township Police Department. HSI – Cherry Hill, and the Cinnaminson and Evesham police departments, have each assigned an investigator to work directly with the High-Tech Crimes Unit for an extended period.