Evergreen Reporter

A Warren County man, Marc Panchenko, has been charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Alina Habba. At 53, Panchenko faces a one-count complaint for possession of child pornography after being arrested in Washington Township, New Jersey. He had a preliminary hearing with U.S. Magistrate Judge Rukhsanah L. Singh in Trenton federal court and was ordered to remain in custody.

Details from court statements and filed documents reveal that after his release from federal custody in November 2023 for a similar offense, Panchenko was on supervised release. Monitoring software installed on his phone detected child sexual abuse material around March 3, 2025. A more detailed inquiry into his phone indicated the presence of over 600 videos and 12,000 digital photos, a number of which include illicit images of prepubescent children, as outlined in the complaint.

The charge for possessing child pornography could lead to a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. However, due to Panchenko's prior conviction, he's facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and a possible fine up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Habba accredited the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force led by the Newark Office of the FBI, the Washington Township Police Department, and the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office with progressing the investigation that resulted in Panchenko's charge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek from Newark's Criminal Division is representing the government. It is crucial to note that the accusations in the complaint are still allegations at this stage, with Panchenko being presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The defendant is being represented by Candace Hom, Esq. Defense or prosecution documentation related to this case include panchenko.complaint.pdf.