Daniel Berwick pleads guilty to federal child pornography charges

Daniel Berwick, a 39-year-old man from Old Bridge, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in Trenton federal court to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

Berwick utilized a “catfishing” scheme on Snapchat, posing as a 17-year-old high school student by using photos and videos of an adult content creator to manipulate two minor victims. According to court documents, Berwick enticed the victims to send recordings of sexual acts and eventually threatened to send compromising material to one victim's family and school officials to demand money or further sexual acts.

Following an investigation by the New Jersey State Police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, law enforcement searched Berwick's electronic devices and discovered at least 1,000 images and videos of child pornography. The material included depictions of prepubescent minors, sexual abuse or exploitation of infants or toddlers, and sadistic or masochistic conduct. Berwick faces a potential sentence of up to 80 years in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled for December 21.