Lawyer for ‘perv’ Santa blasts NJ prosecutors’ rush to judgment

🚨Hamilton's 'Santa Mark' faces child sexual abuse materials charges

🚨His lawyer says prosecutors rushed to judgment based on a cyber tip from NYC

🚨One file allegedly showed a student during a pandemic-era Zoom call

HAMILTON (Mercer) — The attorney representing a retired teacher who dressed up as Santa Claus now accused of possessing child sexual abuse materials, accused prosecutors of rushing to judgment.

The 64-year-old Hamilton resident was charged with possession of child sexual abuse materials on Dec. 5 after police received a tip from the State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit about an individual uploading multiple files of child porn to the internet.

Prosectuors said that given Paulino's contact with children, they acted quickly. Fox Philadelphia reported that Paulino was still a substitute teacher in the Hamilton public schools for special education classes.

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Attorney: Sad rush to judgment

During a detention hearing in Superior Court, prosecutors said one of the images found on the 64-year-old’s devices was a video of a Hamilton Township Elementary School student sitting in her bedroom during school instructional time, according to 6 ABC Action News coverage. The footage was taken during the pandemic in 2020 when students were instructed via Zoom, prosecutors said.

His attorney, Robin Lord, told CBS Philadelphia the tip came from someone in The Bronx, not New Jersey, calling it “the saddest case of a rush to judgment” in her 40 years practicing law. She said Paulino has a clean record.

"They got a cyber tip, so they know that somebody out there on the World Wide Web has alleged child pornography. They have yet to connect it to this gentleman and they've sullied his reputation," Lord said.

The court imposed limited access to the internet and ordered him not to contact the alleged victim or anyone under the age of 18.

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