WATCH: Monmouth Man Arrested On Child Sex Abuse Image Charges Was 'Go-To Guy With Real Sickness'

Layne Bracht was such a good employee at Capital Audio Electronics in New York City that the store posted a video highlighting his work at the shop.

But there was a lot about Bracht, and what he was doing away from the shop, that will wipe that “impeccable” worker image away forever.

This week, the Highlands man admitted to uploading images of child sex abuse to an online file-sharing network, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

Layne Bracht, 32, who moved to Old Bridge, pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas in Camden federal court to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of child pornography.

A supervisor at Capital Audio Electronics in New York City acknowledged Wednesday when speaking with Patch that Bracht worked at the store, and had a video posted online showing his computer work at the shop (see below).

“If we would had known what we know now, he would not have worked there,” the supervisor, who declined to give his name, said.

The owner also said that Bracht was the childhood best friend of his son, and that the two families from Old Bridge were devastated by the arrest.

“We’ve known him since he was 8 years old; he’s been on vacation with my family, and I take the bus home from Tribecca every night with him,” the supervisor said.

According to the supervisor, Bracht had told supervisors and the store’s owners that he had been previously convicted on computer hacking charges, which the supervisor admitted the store had not verified.

Now, he says, the owners and staff have read and heard all of the charges.

Bracht was previously convicted in 2006 after being charged in Matawan with possession of child pornography, a charge to which he subsequently pleaded guilty. On April 2, 2008, U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas sentenced Bracht to 30 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

“Layne happened to be home sick the week of his arrest, but he never came back. We then learned that the FBI had raided his home, and he had done something truly sick. It’s obviously Layne has a sickness, and with his character, this is something none of us ever suspected,” the supervisor said.

He described Bracht as having an “impeccable work ethic”, and that he was excellent with customers with no complaints over the years. After the arrest, the store went through all of Bracht’s computer files, but there were no related problems, the supervisor said.

He added that Bracht always brought and worked on his own private lap top, as all 28t employees are “heavily monitored.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Bract admitted that on Oct. 28, 2013, he knowingly placed images and videos depicting child sexual abuse into shared folders that others could access via a peer-to-peer network.

Special agents of the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence in Highlands on Jan. 15, 2014 and seized digital evidence that contained numerous videos and images depicting child sexual abuse, including material involving prepubescent minors and sadistic or masochistic conduct.

The digital evidence seized included three files previously downloaded from Bracht by law enforcement agents working in an undercover capacity on the peer-to-peer network.

Bracht now faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2015.

“It’s just such a shame- he touched everyone’s lives; he was your go-to guy,” the supervisor said. “It truly is a sad sickness that he has.”

Here is a video describing the work that Layne Bracht did as a sales manager for Capital Audio Electronics.

Capital Audio Electronics Sales Manager Layne Bracht from puconghan on Vimeo.