A Union County man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba.
Jack Wilder, 27, of Somerville, New Jersey, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Jamel K. Semper in Newark federal court. The charges include one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Court documents state that on July 23, 2024, Wilder returned from an international trip on a flight that landed in New York. Law enforcement seized his cell phone at the airport and found images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Approximately a week later, Wilder acquired a new cell phone and continued to receive similar illegal content between July 29, 2024, and May 1, 2025.
The receipt charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison with a maximum of twenty years and up to a $250,000 fine. The possession charge could result in up to twenty years’ imprisonment and the same financial penalty. Sentencing is set for January 26, 2026.
Acting U.S. Attorney Habba credited Homeland Security Investigations Newark for their role in the investigation under Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice,” according to the release. “Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey S. Smith is prosecuting the case for the government; Michael Baldassare is representing Wilder as defense counsel.
For further details about Project Safe Childhood: https://www.justice.gov/psc
