A man is facing charges in federal court after authorities accused him of taking photos of himself sexually abusing children and posting them on the dark web.
Anthony Lagotta Jr., 54, of Plainsboro, is charged with production and possession of child pornography, the New Jersey District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Federal investigators allege Lagotta sexually abused two minors about 15 years ago and posted photos of the alleged assaults on a dark web forum between 2022 and 2024. (Lagotta lived in Sayreville from about 2009 to 2012.)
In a specific post in the forum, Lagotta is said to have described a sexual assault on a five-year-old, according to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
During a search this week, investigators found about 700 child pornography photos on Lagotta’s computer, including some of the images that had been posted on the dark web, authorities said.
He made his first appearance in federal court in Newark this week and is now in federal custody. Information on Lagotta’s attorney was not available Tuesday.
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