HOWELL – A Howell Township man has been sentenced to prison after possessing child sexual abuse materials on two separate occasions since 2017, officials said.
Thomas Vilanova, 50, was sentenced to an extended term of five years to be served at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Avenel. He was also sentenced to Parole Supervision for Life.
An investigation began after the Monmouth County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Subsequently, this was Vilanova’s first conviction of third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child via Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material in July 2017. As a condition of his plea in that case, Vilanova agreed to be subject to remote monitoring of his online activities.
In September 2020, a Monmouth County Senior Probation Officer reported to the Howell Township Police Department stating Vilanova may have downloaded child sexual abuse materials from his desktop computer at home.
As a result, Vilanova turned himself in to police in October 2020. He again pleaded guilty in June 2021 for admitting to a Violation of Probation.
The Monmouth County ICAC Task Force includes members of the following police departments: Bradley Beach, Eatontown, Howell, Long Branch, Manalapan, Marlboro, Neptune Township, Spring Lake, Tinton Falls, Keyport, Keansburg, Belmar, Holmdel, and Red Bank; the Task Force also receives investigative support from the police departments in Long Branch, Colts Neck, Highlands, Hazlet, Howell, Union Beach, Keansburg, Red Bank, West Long Branch, Ocean Township, Freehold Township, and Freehold Borough, as well as the New Jersey State Police (Hamilton Barracks).
