Former Union County Teacher Sentenced to Over Six Years for Child Pornography Offenses

Jack Wilder, 27, of Somerville, received a 78-month prison sentence for receipt and possession of child pornography while employed as a teacher in Plainfield.

NEWARK, N.J. — A former teacher in Union County was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, according to a statement released by Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Jack Wilder, 27, of Somerville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jamel K. Semper to one count of receipt and one count of possession of child pornography. The sentence was handed down on January 27, 2026, in Newark federal court.

Court documents and statements revealed that in July 2024, while employed as a teacher at a Plainfield school, Wilder’s cell phone was searched by law enforcement, revealing pornographic material involving minors. Upon his arrest in May 2025, investigators located additional illegal content on a second cell phone that Wilder had used to receive more child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, led by Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey S. Smith of the Criminal Division in Newark.

Wilder’s case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a nationwide program established by the Department of Justice to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in the exploitation of children through digital means. Additional details are available at justice.gov/PSC.