NJ child porn inmate rearrested after Facebook Marketplace tip

About 16 months after being released from federal prison on child pornography charges, an Edison man is facing another charge of possession of child pornography.

Andrew Chu, 33, made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court on April 18 and was detained.

On April 6, 2021, Chu, then a resident of Union County, was convicted in federal court of possession of child pornography. A year later, on March 22, 2022, he was sentenced to eight months in prison and five years of supervised probation.

On December 23, 2022, Chu was released from prison and began being supervised by the United States Probation Office.

Eleven months later, in November 2023, the Probation Office was notified by Edison police that Chu wanted to purchase young children’s shoes through Facebook Marketplace, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court.

The probation officer then conducted a remote review of Chu’s laptop through an installed driving program, which found approximately 100 images of child pornography between May 2023 and November 2023, the affidavit said.

The search also found video chats between Chu and children, the affidavit said.

For a repeat offender, the charge of possession of child pornography carries a mandatory 10-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine.

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Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles covering Somerset and Hunterdon counties, subscribe or activate your digital account today.

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