South River man convicted of child porn after FBI divers recovered iPad he threw in bay
TRENTON - A 52-year-old South River man who threw his iPad into the bay of a beach club in an effort to allegedly conceal child pornography on the device has been convicted of several counts involving images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Charles F. Browne was found guilty Monday of receiving child pornography, soliciting child pornography, possessing prepubescent child pornography, and concealing objects to impede the FBI’s investigation following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court, Sellinger said.
According to court documents and trial evidence, in September 2017 a cloud-based file service noticed that alleged child sex abuse material had been uploaded to, and maintained in, an account with the screen name “Charles Browne” and an email address containing the term “cbrowne.”
The FBI obtained the files that were uploaded to the online account, which included prepubescent child pornography and two copies of Browne’s resume. On April 8, 2019, law enforcement officers stopped Browne’s vehicle as he left his home. Browne was given a Miranda warning and interviewed by law enforcement officers about the FBI’s ongoing child exploitation investigation. Browne initially denied having an iPad and then, in response to the agent’s question at the conclusion of the interview asking where his iPad was, responded that it was at home, which was approximately one mile away, according to court documents and trial evidence.
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Law enforcement officers told Browne that an online file account contained two images of prepubescent child sexual abuse created by an Apple iPhone Model 5C camera. Browne denied knowledge of the child pornography. At the conclusion of the interview, Browne was dropped off at his vehicle, which was locked.
At trial, Browne testified that he broke into his vehicle after the FBI interview, removed an iPad and his iPhone, and then walked to a local private beach club. A neighbor spotted Browne as he walked to the end of the dock and threw his iPad and iPhone into the bay, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Browne then returned to his home without his electronic devices. The FBI conducted a canvass of the area and located the neighbor who had spotted Browne throwing his iPad into the bay. The FBI sent in a dive team, which recovered Browne’s iPad and iPhone – an Apple Model 5C – from the bay.
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The devices were repaired and review of the data recovered from the devices revealed videos and images of child sexual abuse. Web history from the iPad reflected that Browne had sought out images of child sexual abuse on the iPad the day before law enforcement officers interviewed him. Evidence from Browne’s iPad and iPhone reflected that Browne sent emails to others seeking child pornography “vids,” according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Browne faces 5 to 20 years in prison and fine of $250,000 on the receipt of child pornography and solicitation of child pornography charges. He also faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the other charges. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 9, 2022.
Sellinger credited the South River Police Department and other law enforcement agencies for the investigation work that led to Browne's conviction.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ man convicted of child porn after iPad he threw in bay recovered
