Ridgefield man sentenced to five years in prison for distribution and possession of child pornography

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for distributing and possessing videos and images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Malcolm Salamanca, 29, of Ridgefield, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Salas imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Salamanca used a peer-to-peer file-sharing program to download and share videos and images of child sexual abuse. In November 2016, undercover law enforcement agents downloaded some of those images and videos from Salamanca’s computer. After executing a search warrant at Salamanca’s home in November 2017, agents located more videos of child sexual abuse on Salamanca’s computers.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Salamanca to five years of supervised release and imposed a special assessment of $10,000 under the Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking Act.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Ridgefield Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their assistance with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Wangenheim, Chief of the Opioids Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Paul Brickfield Esq., River Edge, New Jersey