A 45-year-old Dumont man surrendered to Bergen County Prosecutor's Office detectives this week, capping a cyber crimes investigation that lasted six months and 13 days, which prosecutors say uncovered images of sexually explicit material involving children on his electronic devices. Nicholas J. Farinola turned himself in on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Investigation Traces Back to a Dumont Police Tip
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest, according to a Bergen County Prosecutor's Office release. The case began on April 22, when the Dumont Police Department passed information to the prosecutor's Cyber Crimes Unit suggesting Farinola possessed inappropriate sexual material involving minors, as reported by Daily Voice.
From there, detectives obtained court authorization to search Farinola's electronic devices. The search, Musella said, revealed that Farinola had viewed, saved, downloaded, or possessed images depicting nude or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children, per the same account from Daily Voice.
Charges and What Comes Next
Prosecutors said Farinola was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material and endangering the welfare of a child. Separate reporting from RLS Media described both offenses as third-degree charges tied to the Dumont investigation, which that outlet reported was conducted under the direction of Chief Jeff Angermeyer with the Dumont Police Department's assistance.
After surrendering, Farinola was taken to the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, the article notes. No information about a plea or the outcome of that appearance has been released.
Cyber Crimes Unit's Broader Mandate
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Cyber Crimes Unit handles criminal investigations tied to the internet and technology, including cases involving depictions of child sexual exploitation, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. The unit has brought similar cases before; a 2022 report from The Ridgewood Blog referenced an arrest of a Wallington construction worker on child pornography charges, though further details of that case were not available.
