A Hunterdon County man has pleaded guilty to using a video game network to solicit nude photos from underage girls, including an autistic girl, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced in a statement.
Thomas A. Pirretti, 34, of Flemington -- who was previously arrested in a separate state child porn crackdown -- pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Hunterdon County Superior Court to manufacturing, distributing and possessing child pornography as well as debauching the morals of a child.
Under a plea agreement, Pirretti could face five years in prison. He could also face having to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law and a lifetime of parole supervision, the statement said.
Pirretti is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 2.
According to officials, Pirretti met a 16-year-old autistic girl from California on the Nintendo Network, a video game network, in October 2014. After obtaining her phone number, he called her repeatedly, asking her to send him nude photos and photos of herself "engaging in sexual activity with her younger female cousin."
After Pirretti told the girl that he would be her boyfriend in exchange for the photos, the girl sent him at least 10 nude images of herself, according to the statement.
When the girl's mother learned about the situation, she contacted local authorities.
In November 2014, Pirretti also sought nude photos from an 11-year-old Colorado girl whom he also met on the Nintendo Network and obtained her phone number. That girl, however, did not send any photos and her father ultimately contacted local police.
Around that time, Pirretti was already facing charges of possession and distribution of child pornography stemming from an arrest in July 2014 in "Operation Predator Alert," a joint operation by the Division of Criminal Justice and ICE Homeland Security Investigations.
In two separate sweeps, authorities in that operation arrested 28 people for allegedly using a file-sharing network to "download and distribute child pornography, including child rape videos, on the internet," the statement said.
According to officials, Pirretti was in an online chat with another defendant arrested in the operation in which they "discussed their desire for prepubescent girls." Pirretti asked if he could pay for sex with another defendant's 10-year-old daughter, the statement said.
That investigation also uncovered that between October 2013 and June 2014, Pirretti was in possession of more than 1,000 items of child pornography and had distributed about 750 items of child pornography through email.
"Even after being arrested for child pornography, Pirretti was out on the internet, stalking young girls and deceiving a very vulnerable victim into sending him sexually explicit photos of herself," Porrino said in the statement. "This guilty plea will remove him from our communities to a place where he can no longer harm children."
Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice said in the statement urged parents "to be aware of the dangers their children face from online sexual predators like Pirretti, who use social media and gaming sites to search for victims."
Anyone who suspects improper contact by someone communicating with children on the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children can contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.