Child Porn, Other Charges Filed Against 15 People in Burlington County
Officials in Burlington County say the second phase of an operation that went after, "threatening online activity towards children during the ongoing pandemic" has resulted in 15 people being charged.
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina says the charges range from possessing and distributing child sexual assault material to more serious offenses.
"Operation Safe Quarantine II is the latest result of our pledge to patrol cyberspace and capture the depraved individuals who believe it is acceptable to exploit and endanger children for sexual gratification," Coffina said in a statement. "There is much more work to be done, and this effort will continue to be a priority for the BCPO and the agencies who partnered with us for this investigation."
Operation Safe Quarantine II, as it was called, ran from August, 2020, through January, 2021, and resulted in the following arrests:
Jason McCann, 35, of Blackwood was charged August 12, 2020, with Luring, Attempted Obscenity of a Minor and Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child. McCann believed he was sending pictures of his genitals and videos of himself masturbating to a 13-year-old girl, but the actual recipient was a Special Agent of United States Homeland Security Investigations. He attempted to arrange a meeting at a park in Bordentown Township to have sex with the girl.
Mark Garagozzo, 31, of Ambler, PA, was charged September 10, 2020, with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree). Garagozzo is accused of Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material. Garagozzo was arrested in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2020 with the assistance of the United States Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia Field Office and the Ambler Borough Police Department.
Frank Gibson, 72, of Tabernacle was charged September 24, 2020, with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree). Gibson is charged with Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material, including images of infants and toddlers.
A 17-year-old man from Willingboro was charged September 30, 2020, with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree). He is charged with Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Douglas Harper, 53, of Mount Laurel was charged October 2, 2020, with four counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (three are Second Degree and one is Third Degree). Harper is charged with Distribution, Possession with the Intent to Distribute, Use of File Sharing Software and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Trevor Brown, 34, of Marlton was charged October 15, 2020, with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (one is Second Degree and one is Third Degree). Brown is charged with Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material.
David Epps, Jr., 34, of Medford was charged October 21, 2020, with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (one is Second Degree and one is Third Degree). Epps Jr. is charged with Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Sean Higgins, 30, of Palmyra was charged October 29, 2020, with a total of 28 crimes. He held the position of youth pastor at Harbor Baptist Church, and also served as a teacher at the Harbor Baptist Academy. Higgins was charged with six counts of Manufacturing Child Sexual Abuse Material (First Degree), one count of Aggravated Sexual Assault (First Degree), five counts of Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (Second Degree), one count of Sexual Assault (Second Degree), six counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (Third Degree), six counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree), and one count each of Criminal Sexual Contact (Fourth Degree), Obstruction (Fourth Degree) and Contempt (Fourth Degree). The investigation into additional victims within the State of New Jersey and throughout the United States is ongoing.
Stephen Gifford, 36, of Medford was charged November 2, 2020, with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two are First Degree, one is Second Degree and one is Third Degree). Gifford is charged with Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Bryan Bereza, 40, of Pemberton was charged December 2, 2020, with six counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (one is First Degree, four are Second Degree and one is Third Degree) and Invasion of Privacy (Third Degree). Bereza is charged with Manufacturing, Distributing, Possession with the Intent to Distribute, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material, Endangering the Welfare of a Child by Impairing or Debauching the Morals of a Child, and Invasion of Privacy by secretly recording an underage female while she was nude and then sending the images to other individuals. On December 3, 2020, Bereza was additionally charged with Sexual Assault by Sexual Contact (Second Degree), three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (one is First Degree and two are Second Degree) and Invasion of Privacy (Third Degree).
David Bucci, 43, of Burlington City was charged December 22, 2020, with four counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two are Second Degree and two are Third Degree). Bucci is charged with Distributing, Possession with the intent to Distribute, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material and being the Leader of a Network for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material.
A 16-year-old man from Medford was charged January 14, 2021, with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree). He is charged with Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Mihir Patel, 25, of Mount Laurel was charged January 15, 2021, with Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a child (Third Degree) and Attempted Obscenity to a Minor (Third Degree). Patel sent pictures of his genitals to a person he thought was a 10-year-old girl, but the actual recipient was a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Zachary Snider, 20, of Mount Laurel was charged January 25, 2021, with one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree). Snider is charged with Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Azan Babar, 18, of Willingboro was charged January 27, 2021, with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two are Second Degree and one is Third Degree). Babar is charged with Distribution, Possession with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Babar was caught selling online links of Child Sexual Abuse Material to other individuals.
These apprehensions follow the initial round of arrests made during the first phase of Operation Safe Quarantine. Ten defendants were apprehended on similar charges over a two-month period ending last July. Seven of those people have pleaded guilty in Superior Court.