A teacher from Union County, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. Jack Wilder, 27, of Somerville, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Jamel K. Semper in Newark federal court.
Court documents and statements indicate that on July 23, 2024, Wilder returned from an international trip and arrived in New York. Law enforcement officers seized his cell phone at the airport and found images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. About a week later, Wilder obtained a new cell phone and continued to receive similar illegal content between July 29, 2024, and May 1, 2025.
Wilder faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison for receipt of child pornography and up to twenty years for each charge. Each count also carries a possible fine of $250,000. Sentencing is set for January 26, 2026.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba credited Homeland Security Investigations Newark with leading the investigation: “Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited the work of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, with the investigation leading up to this guilty plea.”
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders and assist victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey S. Smith is representing the government in this matter.
Defense counsel is Michael Baldassare.
