A massive investigation involving both federal and state agencies led to the arrests of 14 New Jersey men who had allegedly distributed child pornography over the Internet.

According to authorities, the suspects used an online file-sharing network to distribute child pornography videos.

The suspects live in Bridgeton, Cape May Court House, Egg Harbor, Hamilton, Lower Township, Millville, Pennsauken, Somerset, Trenton, Wrightstown, and Woodstown.

The investigation, dubbed “Operation Predator Alert,” was prompted by New Jersey’s new child pornography law. According to the Director of the Division of Criminal Justice, the operation was named “Operation Predator Alert” because law enforcement wanted to convey that it is “sounding the alarm about deviants who troll the Internet for images of children being raped and tortured.”

In a press conference today, the acting NJ Attorney General suggested that the tough new law had given law enforcement the means to go after sexual predators that victimize children.

The NJ child pornography law is aimed at curbing the distribution of child pornography through online file sharing. The law imposes strict liability on anyone who makes child pornography files available for downloading from the Internet. If the men arrested as part of “Operation Predator Alert” are convicted of distributing 25 or more child pornography files, they could each be sentenced to up to five (5) years in New Jersey State Prison. Additionally, the NJ child pornography law imposes on offenders Megan’s Law registration requirements for life.

For more information, read the NewYork.CBSLocal.com article entitled “14 Arrested for Alleged Possession, Distribution of Child Pornography in N.J.“