Westwood Man Gets 6 Yrs. For Distributing Child Porn Online

WESTWOOD, NJ — A borough man was sentenced to six years in prison for sharing videos and photos of child pornography online, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced Friday.

James R. Agin, 71, must register as a sex offender when he is released from prison and will be subject to parole supervision for life, Grewal said.

The sentence stems from child pornography charges filed against Agin after he was arrested in 2017 during Operation Safety Net. The operation was a massive nine-month, multi-agency child protection initiative that targeted sex offenders. Agin was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

Agin pleaded guilty in February to second-degree distribution of child pornography.

"By sending defendants like Agin to prison, we deliver the message that possessing and distributing child pornography are very serious crimes — crimes that create a market for the terrible abuse of innocent children," said Attorney General Grewal. "This prison sentence reflects our determination to prosecute these offenders aggressively using New Jersey's tough child pornography laws."

Agin must serve three years of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Bergen County Superior Court Judge Frances McGrogan handed down the sentence Friday.

It was the second child pornography-related arrest for Agin. He pleaded guilty in 2007 in Bergen County to a prior charge of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to probation, Grewal said.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com