Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that two men from Evesham Township and Shamong have been arrested on charges involving child sexual abuse material.
Matthew Natale, 22, of the 1400 block of Virginia Court in the Marlton section of Evesham, was charged March 2 with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (two Second Degree and one Third Degree) and one count of Tampering with Evidence. The charges involve the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation began after the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit received information regarding Natale’s online activities from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The investigation revealed that Natale was using email to trade images and videos of pre-pubescent boys.
Natale was released from custody following a first appearance in Superior Court. Several conditions were placed on his release by the Hon. Terrence R. Cook, P.J.Cr. He is forbidden from using a smart phone, cannot access social media, and cannot use the internet unless he is attending virtual college classes or seeking employment.
Furthermore, Natale can have no unsupervised contact with children and is no longer permitted to work as a student teacher at Middletown South High School in Monmouth County. Officials with the Middletown Township Public School District terminated his student teaching assignment after becoming aware of the charges.
Robert Chestnut, 68, of the first block of Oakview Court in Shamong, was charged March 3 with one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree). The charge involves the
The investigation began after the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit received information regarding Chestnut’s online activities from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The investigation revealed that Chestnut was searching for and viewing images of pre-pubescent females on his laptop computer and other digital devices.
Chestnut was released following a first appearance in Superior Court. The cases will now be prepared for presentation to a Burlington County Grand Jury for possible indictment.
Natale and Chestnut join multiple defendants arrested recently by the BCPO for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material, among other more serious offenses. As part of the BCPO’s ongoing Operation Safe Quarantine, which targets the online exploitation of children, charges have been filed against 30 individuals since last May.
Both defendants will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Weiler.
The Natale investigation was conducted by the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit, with assistance from United States Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill Office, the Cinnaminson Township Police Department and the Evesham Township Police Department. The lead investigator was HSI Special Agent Jennifer Miller, who is presently assigned as a Task Force Officer with the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit.
The Chestnut investigation was conducted by the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit, with assistance from United States Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill Office and the New Jersey State Police T.E.A.M.S. Unit and Canine Unit. The lead investigator was BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit Detective Sergeant Dave Kohler.
The Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit, HSI – Cherry Hill and the Cinnaminson Township Police Department are members of the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The BCPO also belongs to the New Jersey State Police Cyber Terrorism Task Force.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.