Somerville Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Pornography Offenses

Thursday, September 25, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

NEWARK, NJ.- A 27-year-old Somerville, New Jersey, man employed as a teacher with the Plainfield, New Jersey School District will be facing up to 40 years in federal prison when he is sentenced early next year, after pleading guilty on Monday, to receiving and possessing digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba, on Monday, September 22, 2025, Jack Wilder, 27, of Somerville, New Jersey, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Jamel K. Semper to a Federal Information charging one count of Receipt of Child Pornography; and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

Wilder Could Be Facing Up To 40 Years In Federal Prison

     Following entering his guilty plea on Monday, Judge Semper accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for January 26, 2026. At that time, Wilder faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison on each of the counts. Wilder will also be subject to at least three years of supervised release and up to a lifetime of supervision, as well as a fine of up to $500,000.

     According to the charging information filed in the criminal information, on or about July 23, 2024, Wilder, a teacher at a school in Plainfield, New Jersey, returned from an international trip aboard a flight that landed in New York. Customs and Border Patrol Agents seized his cell phone at a customs inspection checkpoint and conducted a search of the phone. During the search, Agents uncovered digital images and video files of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

     Just around one week after the Agents seized his cell phone, Wilder purchased a new cellular phone. Beginning on July 29, 2024, and lasting through May 1, 2025, Wilder knowingly received digital images and video files of child pornography on the new cellular phone.

     Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba commended the investigative work of the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, which led to the arrest and Monday’s guilty plea by Wilder.