Federal agents arrested a guard at a juvenile detention facility Monday morning on charges that he exchanged pornographic images of children over the Internet.
Homeland Security agents arrested Michael Ruggiero, 35, of Forked River, at the jail where he served as a corrections officer.
According to the complaint filed in federal court, a Canadian man was arrested in March 2016 for parole violations and admitted he had been sharing pornographic pictures and videos of children online.
Using his phone, authorities determined both the man and Ruggiero had allegedly used an unnamed app to exchange multiple images of young girls engaged in sexual acts, alone and in combination with adult men and women.
There was nothing in the complaint, though, to suggest that any of the material Ruggiero allegedly shared was connected to the facility where he worked.
Ruggiero faces one count of distribution of child pornography, which carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison. His attorney was not immediately available to comment.
