NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Hongyu Wang, a 21-year-old former student of Rutgers University, recently plead guilty to several charges involving his distibuting of child pornography while still being enrolled as a Rutgers student.

The announcement came last Monday from Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman.

Wang, a Piscataway resident, was charged with one count of distributing child pornography, one count of offering child pornography, one count of attempting to tamper with evidence, and also one count of attempting to hinder apprehension, according to Assistant Attorney General Hoffman.

He plead guilty to second-degree distribution of child pornography and fourth-degree attempted tampering, according to a report on New Brunswick’s Patch.com.

Wang’s collection of over 230 child porn files were discovered via person-to-person file sharing by the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit (or DTIU), in December of 2011, as well as the New Jersey Crimes Against Children Task Force. 

It wasn’t until January 26, 2012 that Wang agreed to meet with detectives so that they could collect his computer and any other evidence from the case.  But when Wang took them to the apartment he was residing in, he allegedly shoved his mother in front of the detectives and fled towards his room where his computer was.

It was discovered that he had magnets on his shoes that he intended to use to wipe all of the data from his computer’s hard drive. He was apprehended by one of the detectives before reaching the computer. The detectives then retrieved a search warrant and the evidence.

After a forensic evaluation, it was found that Wang had more than 230 videos of child pornography on his computer, which led to his expulsion from Rutgers.

The second degree charge would normally mean five to ten years in a state prison for Wang, but the deal with prosecutors includes a recommendation that he be sentenced to three to five years.

Wang’s sentencing is scheduled for January 17 at the courtroom of Judge Bradley Ferencz at the Middlesex County Courthouse in downtown.