Federal Employee Arrested For Possession Of Child Pornography

NEWARK, N.J. – A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee was arrested for possession of child pornography on his EPA computer, the U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

John Struble, 63, of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of possession of child pornography. He appeared by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre on March 29, 2022.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

The EPA alerted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, (HSI) that it discovered images of child pornography on a computer that it issued to Struble. HSI learned that Struble had navigated to websites containing sexual content and viewed child pornography using his EPA computer. HSI located a cache folder containing approximately 100 images constituting child pornography, which Struble had accessed from Fair Lawn using his EPA computer. HSI further determined that Struble accessed the child pornography on his EPA computer using a web browser that was not authorized by the EPA for installation on the computer.     

The count of possession of child pornography is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of HSI, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina, and the EPA, Office of Inspector General, Electronic Crimes Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Justin Link. He also thanked the Fair Lawn Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Mitchell of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.