David Tuytjens, 70, of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Aug. 2 before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to one count of possession of child pornography.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, officers from the New Jersey State Parole Board visited Tuytjens’ residence in December 2024 and found various electronic devices, including a 64 gigabyte MicroSD storage card. The visit was conducted because Tuytjens is prohibited from possessing Internet-capable devices as part of Community Supervision for Life due to a prior state conviction for aggravated sexual assault. The storage card contained at least 800 images and 30 video files depicting child sexual abuse materials, including prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and images portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as sexual abuse or exploitation of an infant or toddler.
Due to prior convictions—including a federal conviction for possession of child pornography—Tuytjens faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted on this charge. The charge also carries a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2027.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer credited special agents from the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in Newark, the U.S. Probation Office, the New Jersey State Parole Board, and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office with investigating the case leading to Tuytjens’ guilty plea.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources across federal, state, and local agencies to locate offenders and rescue victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey prosecutes federal crimes across the state and represents the United States in civil matters through offices located in Newark, Trenton, and Camden with about 170 attorneys and support staff as part of its statewide operations; it also advances community safety through law enforcement coordination programs as part of its role within the Department of Justice, according to its official website.