Philadelphia chef charged with child porn distribution in Monmouth

A Philadelphia man who allegedly upoloaded and sent child pornography images through a computer at his father's house in Howell Township faces distribution charges in Monmouth County.

Taylor Hecht, 28, was arrested Wednesday for the actions that allegedly took place last November, according to information from the office of acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni.

Hecht is employed as a chef at Brigantessa Restaurant on East Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia, authorities said.

He faces a second-degree charge of endangering the welfare of a child, related to distribution, and the same charge in the third degree related to possession.

The more serious second-degree charge carries a possible prison term as high as 10 years on conviction. The third-degree count is punishable by up to five years on conviction.

Investigators in the Monmouth Computer Crimes Unit acted on a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that was relayed form the Ocean County Prosecutor's High Tech Crimes Unit.

The tip concerned lewd images of children allegedly being transmitted from an IP address linked to Hecht's father's home on Vienna Drive.

Hecht was placed in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold, with bail set at $125,000, and no option for release on payment of 10 percent. Conditions of bail include no Internet access and no contact with anyone under age 18.