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Indian-origin man pleads guilty to accessing child abuse materials
Vijayakumar faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 6, 2027.
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Staff Reporter - Sat, 15, Aug 2026
- 03:54 EDT
- 39
Representational image / Pexels
An Indian-origin man in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to accessing child sexual abuse material involving a prepubescent minor, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Abhishek Vijayakumar, 43, entered his guilty plea in federal court following an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Newark Field Office, with assistance from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Cyber Crimes Unit.
According to court documents, Vijayakumar knowingly accessed the illicit material in March 2024.
Law enforcement subsequently discovered more than 200 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including an image depicting the sexual abuse of an approximately 3-year-old child by an adult male, when reviewing his electronic devices, according to court documents.
Vijayakumar faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 6, 2027. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Also Read: NY woman pleads guilty to smuggling Indians across U.S.-Canada border
"The Department of Justice is committed to unmasking child predators and holding them accountable for their devastating crimes," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division in an official statement.
Stefanie Roddy, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark Field Office, highlighted the gravity of the case, calling the guilty plea "a bittersweet victory, as it acknowledges the victimization of the children depicted in the materials the offender possessed."
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Led by U.S. attorneys' offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, as well as identify and rescue victims.
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