The couple created pornographic images by abusing two children, the U.S. Attorney's Office alleges.
CAMDEN -- An Audubon woman admitted in federal court Tuesday that she helped her ex-boyfriend, a former chef in Collingswood and Philadelphia, create child pornography involving two children.
Alexander Capasso Janine Kelley, 35, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Camden to conspiring with Alexander Capasso to engage in the sexual exploitation of the children. She faces a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 30 years at her sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 18.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a press release that Kelley, a registered nurse, and Capasso engaged in sexual conduct with children to create pornographic images.
Capasso, 42, who lived in Collingswood, has denied the charges against him.
Authorities said that some time after Capasso and Kelley began dating in or around 2011, he told her he was interested in sexual conduct with children.
From November 2011 to October 2012, she captured images of her sexually abusing the two children and allowed Capasso to capture similar images, Fishman said. She also took photographs of Capasso sexually abusing one of the children.
Capasso and Kelley were arrested in July 2015 after undercover FBI investigators allegedly had online and text message conversations with him, in which Capasso shared sexually explicit photos of minors, including a 5-year-old girl. The two children, a girl and a boy, were between 3 and 10 years old when the abuse allegedly occurred.
Investigators said at the time that Capasso told the FBI agent that he looked forward to abusing the daughter he was expecting to be born soon.
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Capasso operated Blackbird Dining Establishment and West Side Gravy in Collingswood between 2007 and 2013.
Capasso was indicted by a federal grand jury in Camden on July 6 for allegedly possessing and distributing images of child sex abuse and conspiring to sexually exploit two minor children.
Kelley's case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana V. Carrig of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden. Kelley was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Christopher O'Malley.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.