Somerset Man Charged with Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

Federal authorities allege Elliott Souder used a peer-to-peer network to obtain explicit material involving minors; over 1,000 illicit files were found during a search of his residence.

TRENTON, N.J. — A Somerset County resident has been charged with receipt and possession of child pornography following a federal investigation that uncovered over 1,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse on his personal computer, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Elliott Souder, 51, of Somerset, was charged by complaint and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah L. Singh on May 6, 2025, in federal court in Trenton.

According to court documents and statements made during proceedings, Souder is accused of using a home computer between September 20, 2021, and November 16, 2021, to connect to an internet-based peer-to-peer file-sharing network and request multiple videos depicting child sexual abuse. A subsequent search warrant executed at his residence in March 2022 led to the discovery of more than 1,000 illicit files on his computer’s hard drive.

Among the materials allegedly recovered were videos previously requested via the network, and content involving prepubescent children, toddlers, and infants, as well as images that depicted sadomasochistic abuse of minors.

Souder faces serious federal penalties. The receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a maximum of 20 years, along with a potential fine of up to $250,000. The possession charge also carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation was conducted by special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Against Children Unit, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, and was part of the FBI’s Operation Restore Justice.

This case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the exploitation of children through coordinated efforts across federal, state, and local agencies. For more information about the initiative, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Criminal Division in Trenton is representing the government.

The charges in the complaint are allegations, and Souder is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.