Suspended NJ deputy facing federal charges in teen sex case

Joshua Padilla, 33, is accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl.

A suspended New Jersey sheriff's deputy accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old Pennsylvania girl and posting the video online is now facing federal charges.

Joshua Padilla, 33, of Eatontown, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pennsylvania on charges of producing, distributing and possession child pornography in relation to the video.

The Middlesex County officer, who was suspended without pay, was charged in eastern Pennsylvania's Northampton County in February with unlawful contact with a minor, obscene materials and child sex abuse.

RELATED: NJ sheriff's deputy accused of sexually abusing teen, posting video online

State police say after a tip about the alleged 2018 sexual contact, Padilla was arrested in a sting in which an agent posed as a 14-year-old girl.

Federal court documents don't list an attorney; Padilla's attorney in the state case declined comment Monday.