Brick Township Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Receiving and Distributing Child Pornography

Christopher Budelman, 37, recorded minors on video chat and shared explicit material through messaging apps, federal officials say.

BRICK, NJ — A 37-year-old man from Brick Township has been sentenced to 180 months (15 years) in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography, following an investigation involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Christopher Budelman pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi to two counts of receipt and one count of distribution of child pornography. The sentence was handed down in Trenton federal court, and also includes 10 years of supervised release.

Court records state that between September 2021 and June 2022, Budelman used two Kik Messenger accounts to send images and videos of child sexual abuse, including material involving prepubescent minors, to other individuals. In addition, around June 2022, Budelman used an online video chat site to entice two minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct while he recorded the encounters for personal use.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (Atlantic City office), in coordination with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, New Jersey State Police, and Brick Township Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Super Pitts of the Criminal Division in Trenton.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at identifying, prosecuting, and preventing the exploitation and abuse of children. More information about the program is available at justice.gov/psc.

Authorities stress that coordinated efforts among local, state, and federal agencies remain vital in detecting and prosecuting offenses involving child sexual abuse material.