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Mayo man arrested in child porn investigation

By
ARPIL DREW,
Irish Voice Reporter
Published Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 5:04 PM
Updated Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 7:55 AM

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Paul Benson


A County Mayo man living in New Jersey was arrested last October on child pornography charges and will face a grand jury in the next few months.

Paul Benson, owner of a North Jersey Irish construction company, Alpine Group, located in Elmwood Park, was arrested in an early morning raid by detectives in Bergen County on October 15, 2009 at his million dollar home.

Benson, 42 and married with children, was arrested as a result of an in-depth investigation into online child pornography users and distributors conducted by members of the Suffolk County Police Department on Long Island, who liaised with the Bergen County prosecutor’s office computer crimes task force unit on the case.

Detectives working on the case told the Irish Voice that Benson had more than 20,000 pornographic images and videos of children under the age of 18-months on his home computer.

One detective who worked on trying to bring in Benson for a long time described the images as “nasty, nasty stuff.”

The Irishman was initially discovered to be trafficking and possessing child pornography by undercover detectives trawling online sites seeking men and women “interested” in child pornography.

The pornography that Benson possessed and distributed contained images and videos of toddlers, some engaging in sexual acts.

 "In this case, the child pornography contained images and/or videos of pre-pubescent children engaged in sexual acts," said Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli after Benson’s arrest last October.

Benson, who lives in a large home in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, was charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a minor, specifically by transmitting depictions of child pornography, and one count of endangering the welfare of a minor, specifically by possessing or viewing depictions of child pornography.

Benson, who pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in October, could face up to 10 years in state prison if found guilty for distributing child pornography, classed as a second-degree crime. He faces up to 18 months behind bars for possessing or viewing child pornography, a fourth-degree crime.

Judge Donald Venezia granted Benson bail at $100,000 and he was released from custody after spending a night in the Bergen County Jail. He is set to appear at the Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey in the coming months.

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12 Comments

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| Mar 19, 2010, 07:32 AM EDT
To kilgara, Let me apologize, I didn't mean give him his own parish, I meant move him to another parish. Your pope knowingly protected a pedophile, and you have the balls to call me demented.

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jjsmithmen | Mar 05, 2010, 05:21 PM EST
Anyone ever hear of innocent until proven guilty? They haven't even analyzed his computer yet. If it is true, it is unconcionable but he has not even been indicted. As a computer crime, it could be anyone who had access to the computer. I am sure that could be lots of people if he owns a big business. Maybe we should wait to see what the evidence is before we hang a fellow Englishman/Irishman/American out to dry.

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galway2001 | Feb 25, 2010, 08:33 PM EST
he should be fried i'm sure he put his own children on there too,and what about his wife she must have known something was wrong with that thing she was married to.If he had the picture at work then she would't know but if they were at her home then she should have known, if they were, then she looked the other way for the money and the house

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hyattsville | Feb 25, 2010, 11:40 AM EST
Gross and totally unconscionable. Lets hope the US authorities show less leniency than their Irish counterparts in sentencing this vermin. Case in point being Tim Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School fame, another family man who received a piddling punishment of some community service and an order to pay €40,000 to a children's charity in India. His 2003 crime was possessing nearly 1,000 pornographic images of Children on his computer.

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kickstar | Feb 25, 2010, 03:10 AM EST
My heart is truly pained when I read of Toddlers being abused I will always remember my own children as little sweethearts of Toddlers and how anyone could envisage using the likes in a sexual way just boggles the mind. It truly must be a Mental disorder, But certainly people like this are a terrible danger to be near our children and must be taken out of our society. This mans wife will have to bear the stigma of this Revelation his children too and they will probably have to up sticks and move away from all they have become familiar with. There are many many victims here in this horribly sad event

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kilgara | Feb 25, 2010, 12:33 AM EST
Hey freethinker,only a very disturbed ,hapless and degenerated mind would bring the pope into this dicussion . You and Benson are on the same wavelength.

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kickstar | Feb 24, 2010, 10:17 PM EST
I feel really sorry for this mans family.

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kickstar | Feb 24, 2010, 01:47 PM EST
I heard the pope is going to give him his own parish.

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Jdangler | Feb 24, 2010, 01:40 PM EST
He was born in England, so he is English. Please get his background correct. He is certainly a sick man and I cannot believe he is out on the streets.

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gabrielles | Feb 24, 2010, 01:38 PM EST
I WAS BORN IN IRELAND AND LIVE IN USA THAT DOESENT MAKE ME A AMERICAN. PLEASE CALL HIM A ENGLISHMAN.

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Bridgetftmyers | Feb 24, 2010, 12:39 PM EST
WHY IS HE CALLED AN IRISH MAN?????? HE WAS BORN IN ENGLAND . HE'S ENGLISH SO THERE !!!!!!!

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ColleenUSA | Feb 24, 2010, 10:47 AM EST
Sick man. Hard to believe he is out on the streets

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