A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, admitted to charges that claimed he possessed and transported child pornography -- including materials that depicted the sexual exploitation of toddlers, officials said.
On Wednesday morning, the office of U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced that Trent Collier, 57, of Kearny, New Jersey, pleaded guilty, on Tuesday, to an indictment charging him with possession and transportation of child pornography.
According to court documents, an investigation into Collier began on Sept. 28 of 2021, when he arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic.
At that time, documents note, law enforcement officers searched Collier’s cellular phone and identified at least two images of child sexual abuse.
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Collier then, documents claim, admitted that he had previously sent child pornography to at least one other individual using his cellular phone and that that individual also sent child pornography to Collier’s cellular phone.
A further search of Collier’s cellular phone, officials said, uncovered "multiple additional images of child sexual abuse, including images depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers."
A sentencing hearing for Collier is scheduled to be held on Oct. 10, 2024.
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