West Long Branch Police Aid In Statewide Child Pornography Roundup

Three Monmouth County men were among 25 arrested on child pornography charges in a 12-county sweep conducted with the help of the West Long Branch Police earlier this month, authorities said.

Steven Anan, 52, of Neptune City; Christopher Brondi, 57, of Rumson and Manuel Sanchez-Olivarez, 37, of Red Bank were arrested and charged with second-degree distribution of child pornography and fourth degree possession of child pornography, according to a release from the state Attorney General’s office.

The trio was rounded up with the cooperation of numerous law enforcement agencies following a three-month investigation of New Jersey residents sharing child pornography videos and files conducted by the Digital Technology Investigations Unit of the State Police. The files included child rape videos, along with sexually explicit necrophilia and bestiality videos, the release says.

The majority of arrests, which included one male juvenile, were made between Feb. 18-22. Those arrested in the roundup -- dubbed "Operation Ever Vigilant" -- come from all walks of life, but each had multiple sexually explicit videos of young children that they distributed to others through file-sharing networks, the release says.

“Anyone who views and distributes child pornography – particularly the type of child rape videos targeted in this operation – puts himself in league with the predators who sexually assault children to create these videos,” Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said in the release. “The children they watch being tortured are violated again by their actions, and these offenders may pose a danger to other children because of their predilections.”

Five of those arrested had direct contact with young children, including two defendants who are alleged to be regular babysitters and one registered sex offender. Four of those arrested remain jailed on detainers for being in the country illegally, according to the release.

Among the 25 arrested was Stephen Rainone, of South Amboy, who is listed on the state’s sex offender Internet registry as a Tier 2 offender for sexual assault of girls under 13 years of age. 

The videos and images were passed around through email and file sharing networks. Because many of these videos and photos re-circulate, they make perpetual victims of the children pictured in them, the release says. 

“Everyone sitting in the seclusion of their darkened homes viewing child rape videos has victimized these innocents by creating the market for this disgusting material.  There’s no room for them to say, ‘I haven’t hurt anyone,’” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, State Police superintendent.  “With our partners, we will continue to uncover this behavior, and arrest all those involved.”

Those arrested in Operation Ever Vigilant:

• Stephen Rainone, 27, South Amboy, Middlesex County
• Louis Cedeno, 46, Palisades Park, Bergen County
• David Laidlaw, 36, Hillsdale, Bergen County
• Ernest Okhtenberg, 39, Fair Lawn, Bergen County
• Michael Suscreba, 66, Clifton, Passaic County
• Nil Choudhury, 23, Margate City, Atlantic County
• James Engle, 28, Budd Lake, Morris, County
• Albert Femiano, 30, Clark, Union County
• Frank Fiorelli, 61, Springfield, Union County
• Joseph Lorz, 26, Bergenfield, Bergen County
• Jose Oswaldo, 39, Fairview, Bergen County
• Alfred Bakewell, 64, Sicklerville, Camden County
• Moses Garcia, 25, Perth Amboy, Middlesex County
• Jose Holguin, 59, Fords, Middlesex County
• Alexander Ramirez, 36, North Plainfield, Somerset County
• Brent Ailiff, 38, West Berlin, Camden County
• Steven Anan, 52, Neptune City, Monmouth County
• Ryan Bronchella, 34, Clementon, Camden County
• Christopher Brondi, 57, Rumson, Monmouth County
• Manuel Sanchez-Olivarez, 37, Red Bank, Monmouth County
• Duane Bell, 43, Lawrence, Mercer County
• Giovanni Jimenez, 37, Trenton, Mercer County
• William Payton II, 20, Mount Holly, Burlington County
• Frank Sysk II, 19, Browns Mills, Burlington County
• Male juvenile, 17, Cherry Hill, Camden County