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).
DeFrancesco was arrested March 29 following a traffic stop in Medford Township. When taken into custody, three knives were found on his person. A search warrant executed at his residence and the home of a relative in Medford Township resulted in the seizure of multiple electronic devices. The preliminary investigation revealed that DeFrancisco used an online photo sharing application to upload hundreds of child pornography images.
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 began earlier this year after the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit received information regarding DeFrancisco’ s online activity from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The investigation was conducted by the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit with assistance from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Medford Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Parole Board, the New Jersey State Police 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.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.