NEWARK — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray has announced that Pedro R. Rios, 60, of Newark was sentenced to 25 years in New Jersey state prison by the Honorable Bahir Kamil, Judge of the Superior Court, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
On July 22, 2015 Rios pled guilty to two counts of kidnapping and two counts of aggravated sexual assault. On Friday, he was sentenced for those crimes.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office’s Cyber Crimes Unit identified Rios during an investigation into the distribution of child pornography through file-sharing software. Rios was using the software to obtain images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of prepubescent children.
The continuing investigation revealed that Rios had sexually assaulted a child who was entrusted to his care, according to Assistant Prosecutor Deborah Freier, who handled the case.
When Rios found out he was wanted, he fled New Jersey but was captured by agents from the U.S. Marshals Service in Santa Ana, California and extradited to New Jersey, where he was prosecuted.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in the investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office in Newark prosecuted Rios for distributing and manufacturing child pornography.
“This case highlights the fact that child pornography is not a victimless crime. Those who view and trade child pornography are not just dealing in images. These individuals are actively seeking to watch a child being sexually exploited and abused,” said Freier.
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