An Ocean County man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing images of child sexual abuse, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba.
John Mangan, 79, of Lanoka Harbor, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Shipp imposed the sentence on November 14, 2025.
Authorities said that on October 29, 2024, agents from Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at Mangan’s residence and found an electronic device containing more than 250 images depicting children being sexually abused. Mangan had previous convictions related to sexual offenses involving minors, including a New Jersey conviction for sexual assault against a minor while he was a school principal and a prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.
In addition to the prison term, Mangan was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents with Homeland Security Investigations Newark under Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy for their work in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Belgiovine of the Criminal Division in Trenton represented the government in this case.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims,” according to the statement from officials. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Mangan was represented by defense counsel Suzanne Axel of Hackensack, New Jersey.
