Former Teacher From Morris Admits To Federal Child Porn Charges

WHARTON, NJ — A former teacher from Morris County has admitted to federal child porn charges, after officials said he possessed and distributed images of adults sexually abusing prepubescent children.

Officials said Anselmo Girimonte, 53, of Wharton pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child.

Girimonte, who was most recently an Italian teacher in the Kearny School District, faces a penalty of up to 40 years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine. Police found more than 100 images and videos of young children being sexually abused on the man's cell phone, officials said previously.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced his guilty plea on Wednesday, April 17.

According to police, Girimonte distributed material containing images and video files of child sexual abuse between Dec. 27, 2021, and Jan. 17, 2022, via a publicly accessible online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network of linked computers.

The U.S. Attorney's Office explained users must download the P2P program, which is widely available for free on the Internet. The program allows the user to place files into a designated "shared" folder on his or her hard drive, from which other P2P program users can then download those files directly to the "shared" folders of their own computers.

Users can then browse, search, select, and directly download, those files. The program typically keeps a log of each downloaded event.

Law enforcement officers conducted undercover online sessions to gain access to the P2P program, and during these sessions, a user shared multiple video files of pre-pubescent children being sexually abused by adults from an internet address traced to Girimonte's residence.

Girimonte was arrested on Mar. 4, 2022, on a criminal complaint for this conduct and agreed to detention.

After his arrest, Girimonte was placed on administrative leave, according to District Superintendent Patricia Blood. Girimonte had been in the district since 2006, teaching Italian to students in first through eighth grades, according to his LinkedIn profile.

This article contains reporting from Patch's Vianella Burns and Marlene Lang.

Original article — Morris Co. Teacher Indicted On Child Pornography Charges