Feds: Brick, NJ, Youth Wrestling Coach/Referee Arrested for Child

A Brick man who served as a youth wrestling coach and referee has abused his roles and taken advantage of adolescents in a heinous series of actions.

Now, he's looking at two decades in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced Wednesday that Alec Donovan, 24, of Brick has been arrested and is charged by complaint with receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Donovan appeared by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor today and has been released on a $100,000 unsecured bond.

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Acting Attorney Honig said that Donovan used a messaging application to share videos containing child pornography over the Internet.

It all took place this year, between January and March, when Donovan is accused of sending three videos filled with images of child sexual abuse and then receiving two videos of child sexual abuse, involving prepubescent children, in return over the web-based application.

Donovan is also accused of using the web-based messaging application to seek out and engage in conversations with minors and along the way asking for nude photographs from the minors and in return, sending nude photographs to them.

For what he allegedly did, Donovan now faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for distributing and requesting child porn.

The investigation isn't over yet either as the FBI’s Newark Field Office is asking anyone with information related to this case or who may be a victim to contact them at NK-Victim-Assistance@FBI.gov.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole F. Mastropieri of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Shawn Barnes of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

Help Find These 62 Missing New Jersey Children

NJ arrests 31 accused child predators in Operation 24/7

A roundup of 31 men have been accused of sexually exploiting children online, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced on July 14 while detailing "Operation 24/7."

The suspects “possessed and or distributed videos and images of child sexual abuse, including in many cases videos of young children being raped by adults,” Grewal said.

Chat apps and gaming platforms remain favorite hunting grounds for child predators and even as the pandemic winds down, many children have continued to spend more time online.

State Police received 39% more tips in just the first 6 months of 2021 than they received in the entire year in 2019. The following are suspects charged in "Operation 24/7."