Santa Performer and Former Elementary Teacher Arrested for Alleged Possession of Child Sex Abuse Images By Angel Saunders

A retired school teacher who now works as a seasonal Santa Claus character has been arrested in New Jersey for alleged possession of child sex abuse images.

Mark Paulino, 64, has been charged with one count of second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of second-degree possession with the intent to distribute CSAM, one count of third-degree possession of CSAM, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Monday, Dec. 8.

Detectives with the prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit learned of the inappropriate material belonging to the Hamilton Township resident on Dec. 4. 

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Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey said due to Paulino’s “active engagement with young children” as a Santa character who is available for photographs and private, corporate and organizational events, “detectives worked around the clock to obtain a search warrant.”

Paulino is also said to have recently retired from the Hamilton Township School District as an elementary school teacher. 

Reps for the Hamilton Township School District did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. 

According to prosecutors, a website believed to be Paulino’s says he is “recently retired from the Hamilton Township School District as an elementary school teacher and is now a Santa character available for photographs and private, corporate and organizational events.”

On Friday, Dec. 5, the prosecutor’s office obtained the search warrant with assistance from the prosecutor’s Economic Crime, Cyber Crimes and Domestic Violence units and the Hamilton Police SWAT team.

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Marbrey said authorities were able to seize “multiple items of evidentiary value” as Paulino was taken into custody without incident. 

If convicted, the retired school teacher could face five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000 for his second-degree offenses.

The investigation remains ongoing. 

Anyone with information on Paulino is asked to contact the prosecutor’s ICAC Unit at (609) 989-6568. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at www.mercercountyprosecutor.com.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.