NEWARK – A Middletown Township man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for using the dark web to promote and encourage the sharing of child sexual abuse material, prosecutors said.
Declan Golden, 39, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in New Jersey to 168 months behind bars, followed by 15 years of supervised release.
Federal authorities said Golden was active on a Tor-based website between October 2020 and January 2023 that was known for facilitating the trading and promotion of child sexual exploitation material. Court records show Golden posted messages encouraging other users to share illicit images and links, and discussed voyeuristic fantasies involving children.
Investigators said Golden also made statements online about secretly recording girls in private settings, including bathrooms and showers. A search of his electronic devices uncovered numerous images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, including material involving prepubescent children.
During an interview with law enforcement, Golden admitted he had been viewing such material since 2014, authorities said.
Golden pleaded guilty in May 2025 to a federal charge of promoting material containing child pornography involving a prepubescent minor.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit with assistance from the Middletown Police Department. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
Federal officials said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Justice Department initiative aimed at identifying, apprehending and prosecuting individuals who exploit children online and at protecting victims of abuse.
