An Indian-origin man has pleaded guilty in a federal court in New Jersey to accessing child sexual exploitation material involving a prepubescent minor, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
Abhishek Vijaykumar, a resident of Hasbrouck Heights in New Jersey, knowingly accessed the illicit material in March 2024, it said.
Investigators found more than 200 images, including one depicting the sexual abuse of a three-year-old child by an adult male, while reviewing his electronic devices.
ALSO READ: Iran plotted to kill Trump ahead of Turkey summit, Israel dropped intel to US: Report
Assistant Attorney General A Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said the guilty plea entered Wednesday was another step forward in the continued fight against child sexual exploitation.
"The FBI will continue its relentless quest to identify and stop those who abuse and exploit children," said Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy of the FBI's Newark Field Office.
Roddy said the guilty plea was a bittersweet victory as it acknowledged the victimisation of the children depicted in the material possessed by Vijayakumar.
{{/usCountry}}Roddy said the guilty plea was a bittersweet victory as it acknowledged the victimisation of the children depicted in the material possessed by Vijayakumar.
{{/usCountry}}Vijayakumar faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on January 6, 2027.
A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI's Newark Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Cyber Crimes Unit in New Jersey, the department said.