Ex-NJ Child Protection Worker Gets 9 Years in Prison for Child Porn Crime

A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, is heading to prison on child porn charges.

Sentencing Details

On Thursday, 58-year-old Trent Collier of Kearny was sentenced to 109 months, or about nine years, on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.

Child Porn Discovered at Newark Airport

Federal authorities say that in September 2021, Collier arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic.

At the airport, law enforcement searched his cell phone and they found at least two images of child pornography.

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Collier’s Admission

In a statement to law enforcement, Collier admitted that he had previously sent child pornography to at least one other person using his phone and that individual also sent child porn to him.

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A further search of that phone "uncovered multiple additional videos of child pornography, including videos depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers."

Once out of prison, Collier will be under five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General for their help in this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.