FREEHOLD BOROUGH — Fourteen people have been charged as part of a police operation focused on those viewing images of child sexual exploitation.

"Operation Trading Post" was a five-month operation spearheaded by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Computer Crimes Unit and Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force between June and October.

“It is incumbent on everyone, particularly those of us in law enforcement, to protect children from harm and exploitation. To that end, Operation Trading Post caught individuals who shamelessly viewed and shared depraved images of children being sexually abused,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said in a statement. “Our successful operation demonstrates the value of our partnerships with the local law enforcement agencies that help our ICAC Task Force continue to have a vigilant and watchful eye for this extremely damaging criminal activity.”

Among those charged was Gregory Cantrell, 61, of Freehold who is Princeton University's associate director for workplace safety, according to the university website. He has been employed by Princeton for 28 years, according to his Linkedin account.

Those charged in Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office "Operation Trading Post"
Those charged in Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office "Operation Trading Post" (MCPO)
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"We are aware of the charge and are cooperating with authorities," Princeton spokesman Michael Hotchkiss said, adding that Cantrell was placed on administrative leave.

The arrest of Brian Foley, a former member of the Environmental Commission in Atlantic Highlands and an IT Specialist with Cerner Corporation had been announced in July.

William McMahon, 64, of Keansburg and a deli worker for Acme Markets, was arrested after he made arrangements to meet with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy, authorities said.

All the defendants were released on the conditions that they have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18 and not use the internet.

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