Morrisville Man Indicted on Child Pornography Charges
On March 1, 2024, in Trenton, NJ, a Bucks County, Pennsylvania resident, Gregory J. Barger, appeared in court for the first time on charges related to the production of videos and images depicting child sexual abuse. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger made the announcement regarding the case today.
The 38-year-old Barger was indicted on February 15, 2024, for one count of sexual exploitation of a child, specifically the production of child pornography, and one count of coercion and enticement, involving online enticement of a minor. Having been previously charged with the production offense, Barger was arraigned on February 28, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court and was ordered to be detained pending trial.
Court documents and statements reveal that between August 5, 2020, and April 7, 2022, Barger, a registered sex offender with a prior conviction, used an electronic messaging application to communicate with a minor victim in the United Kingdom. He coerced the minor into engaging in sexual conduct with him, even going as far as traveling to the UK in February 2022 to produce illicit images and videos. Law enforcement discovered these materials on Barger’s seized cell phone following his arrest in Hamilton, New Jersey, on April 7, 2022.
Due to Barger’s criminal history, the charge of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 50 years, along with a $250,000 fine. Similarly, the charge of online enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, in addition to a $250,000 fine.
Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the supervision of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso, and members of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, led by Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri, were credited with conducting the investigation that led to the charges against Barger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton is representing the government in this case.
It is important to note that the charges and allegations outlined in the indictment are merely accusations, and Barger is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Defense counsel for Barger is Andrea D. Bergman Esq., an Assistant Federal Public Defender based in Trenton.
