West Long Branch man indicted for child sex abuse material and lewdness, officials say

FREEHOLD - A West Long Branch man has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly filming himself masturbating in a park and possessing child sexual abuse files, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.

Michael K. Russo faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and lewdness, officials said.

The three-count indictment also charges the 51-year-old with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, as a result of authorities finding cocaine while conducting their investigation, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

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The MCPO Computer Crimes Unit and Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce launched an investigation into Russo after receiving a referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, officials said.

Authorities arrested him Sept. 2 of this year, according to court records. A search warrant found that dozens of files containing child sexual abuse were uploaded to his Google Drive account, authorities said.

Investigators also found a video taken in July 2019 that depicted Russo masturbating at a public park in Asbury Park, in addition to the cocaine, according to authorities.

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Russo is one of more than a dozen suspects arrested in Monmouth County since April for cyber crimes involving children, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office is asking anyone with information about Russo to contact Detective Michael Arduini at 1-800-533-7443.

Nicolas Fernandes is the early morning breaking news reporter. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he has previously worked as a features writer and sports reporter. Contact him at 732-540-4401 or nfernandes@gannettnj.com

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