The following information is on file with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office:
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Medford Township Police Chief Richard J. Meder announced that a 23-year-old Atco resident has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and weapons offenses.
Alex T. DeFrancisco, 23, of the 200 block of White Horse Pike, was charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Fourth Degree) and Certain Persons not to Possess Weapons (Fourth Degree).
A search warrant was executed on March 29 at his residence and the home of a relative in Medford Township that resulted in the seizure of multiple electronic devices. DeFrancisco was taken into custody without incident on that date following a traffic stop in Medford Township. Three knives were found on his person after he was detained.
The investigation began earlier this year after the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that DeFrancisco had uploaded 2,500 images of child pornography using an online photo sharing application.
DeFrancisco was ordered to be detained by a Superior Court judge and is presently lodged in the Burlington County Jail. The case is being prepared for presentation to a Burlington County Grand Jury for possible indictment.
The investigation was conducted by the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit with assistance from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Lower Camden County Special Response Team, the Medford Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Parole Board, the New Jersey State Police, and the United States Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill Office, and the Waterford Township Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Eife,
supervisor of the BCPO Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Unit. The lead investigator is BCPO High Tech Crimes Unit Detective Kevin Sobotka.
The Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit is a member of the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the New Jersey State Police Cyber Terrorism Task Force.
