Sex Offender Sentenced In Morris Co. For Sharing Child Porn

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A repeat sex offender and Morris County man was sentenced to two decades in state prison on Tuesday for multiple sexual assaults, leading a child pornography network and other related offenses, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

Ruben Gonzalez, 20, formerly of Morristown, pleaded guilty to nine counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, one count of second-degree leader of a child pornography network and 25 counts of third-degree invasion of privacy.

On Sept. 29, 2023, Judge Ralph E. Amirata, J.S.C., sentenced Gonzalez to an aggregate sentence of 20 years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to 10 years of parole ineligibility.

Gonzalez is obligated to complete 85 percent of his sentence on the sexual assault charges under the No Early Release Act. Gonzalez will also be required to register under Megan's Law upon release and will be subject to parole supervision for the rest of his life.

The serial sexual assaults occurred between December 2020 and November 2021 in Morristown and Morris Township, the prosecutor's office previously said. Authorities said they also found several videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children on Gonzalez's phone, following an arrest and issuance of a search warrant.

Following the search of Gonzalez's phone, it was determined that on or between Dec. 2, 2020, and Nov. 5, 2021, Gonzalez conspired with others to lead a child pornography network, using the Telegram app to communicate and coordinate the distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Police said that Gonzalez also used the “screen record” option on his cell phone to secretly record and save the sexual activity of the victims without their knowledge or consent.

Some of the victims were minors, the prosecutor's office said.