A New Jersey music teacher was arrested for allegedly sharing and viewing child pornography in a studio he uses for private lessons.
The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said that Jose Sanchez, 58, was arrested after a search warrant was executed at his place of business. Detectives began investigating in September after receiving a tip from prosecutors in Middlesex County, where his Monroe Township home is located.
"In September 2022, detectives with the prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit received information from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office that an individual in Mercer County was uploading child pornography," Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri's office said in a press release.
The release added that ICAC detectives "executed a search warrant at a residence in West Windsor" on Oct. 7, 2022."
Onofri's office said that the investigation led them to conclude that Sanchez had been sharing and viewing the material, and they arrested him "without incident."
Authorities confiscated Sanchez's electronic devices to be examined, and prosecutors filed a motion to keep him detained pending a trial.
Sanchez was charged with third-degree possession of child pornography, which carries a prison sentence of three to five years and a fine of up to $15,000, and second-degree file sharing of child pornography, which carries a five-to-ten-year prison sentence and a fine of as much as $150,000.
