by New Jersey’s Morristown. Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll and Chief of Detectives Robert McNally have announced the guilty plea of a suspended Dover police officer to the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Ledgewood resident Anthony Kelly, 37, pled guilty before Judge Ralph Amirata on Monday. Kelly acknowledged committing one offense of second-degree CSAM distribution, which carries a suggested prison term of seven years at New Jersey State Prison.
The investigation started after the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received six CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to the reports, between July and October 2024, more than 100 CSAM articles were disseminated via a Kik instant messaging account.
Investigators used subscriber information to link the Kik account to Kelly. On November 26, he was formally charged.
The officer will be sentenced next month.
Judge Amirata will sentence Kelly, who is still unpaid and suspended from the Dover Police Department, on July 18.
Following his release, Kelly will be subject to Lifetime Parole Supervision and must register under Megan’s Law.
Detective Danny Witek of the ICAC Task Force was credited by prosecutor Carroll for helping to obtain the guilty plea.
