79 alleged child predators charged in New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- A total of 79 alleged child predators have been arrested across New Jersey.
Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced the massive roundup of predators and child pornography offenders on Friday.
Among those accused include a camp counselor, a youth minister and several adults who allegedly tried to have children transported across state lines for the purposes of sex.
The attorney general has a strong message for those engaging in these disturbing acts.
"If you're lurking in a chat room looking to exploit a child, our investigators are lurking alongside you," Porrino said.
The roundup was part of Operation Safety Net.
Those arrested were identified as:
William Esker, 22, of Bayonne, N.J., was charged on Sept. 7 by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office with aggravated criminal sexual contact for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a girl, 14, over whom he had direct supervision as a camp counselor. He also is charged with providing obscene material to a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
Donald Beckwith, 34, of Browns Mills, N.J., is charged in Delaware with sexual solicitation of a minor and attempt to commit unlawful sexual contact with a minor. Beckwith, a captain in the Air Force stationed in New Jersey, met a girl, 14, through an online chat group for children and allegedly engaged her in sexual conversations, ultimately asking her to meet him in person. He allegedly met the girl twice in Delaware. The first time, he allegedly reached under her shirt and tried to touch her breast, and the second time he allegedly hugged her and repeatedly asked her to lie on a bed in the back of his vehicle and watch a movie with him. The New Jersey State Police arrested Beckwith on Aug. 16 in an investigation initiated by the Delaware State Police. Detectives allegedly found over 10 nude images of an underage girl on his phone.
Michael DeBlock, 22, of Hopatcong, N.J., a youth minister, was arrested on Oct. 10 and charged by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office with possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a child. DeBlock allegedly exchanged sexual photos and texts with a girl, 14, including a photo of his penis.
Brandon Morris, 24, of Hammonton, N.J., was arrested on Oct. 17 and charged by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office with manufacturing child pornography, endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct, conveying obscene materials to a child, and possession of child pornography. Morris allegedly engaged multiple underage girls in conversations on FaceTime, instructing them to perform sexual acts on themselves, which he recorded.
A 17-year-old student from Bergen County, whose name is not being released due to his juvenile status, was arrested on Aug. 17 and charged by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office with manufacturing, distributing and possessing child pornography, as well as invasion of privacy. The juvenile allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography on his electronic devices, including video recordings he allegedly made by hiding his smartphone in a private bathroom in order to record underage boys who were nude, showering or urinating.
Craig Kirschner, 39, of Marlboro, N.J., was arrested on Aug. 21 and charged by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office with luring a child, attempted sexual assault of a minor, and conveying obscene material to a minor. Kirschner allegedly solicited an undercover detective, whom he believed to be a 15-year-old male, to meet for oral sex. The detective was monitoring a mobile app when he encountered Kirschner. After the undercover detective identified himself as a 15-year-old boy, Kirschner allegedly sent him photos of an erect penis, asked him to meet for oral sex, and stated "I can be generous for your trouble."
Isaac Toney, 40, of Trenton, N.J., was arrested on July 17 by the New Jersey State Police and charged with luring a child. He allegedly used a mobile app to solicit an undercover detective, whom he believed was a 14-year-old male, for oral sex. He was arrested at Veterans Park in Hamilton, Mercer County, where he allegedly was to meet the "boy" for a sexual encounter.
Robert Elmi, 63, of Gillette, N.J., was arrested by the New Jersey State Police on Nov. 9 on a charge of luring a child. Elmi had placed an ad on Craigslist soliciting a relationship with a younger female. An undercover State Police detective responded, posing as a young girl and indicating to Elmi that she was 13. Elmi allegedly communicated with the "13-year-old" for several weeks by text and email, ultimately arranging to meet her at a diner. He allegedly told the "girl" he would take her back to his apartment, where they would drink, watch TV, kiss and perform oral sex on each other. Elmi was arrested by the State Police at the diner.
The following were charged with child porn offenses
William Camargo, 48, of Millington, N.J., an IT professional , allegedly had more than 138,000 files of suspected child pornography, and possibly more than one million files (determination awaiting full forensic examinations of computer equipment);
Callen Kapschock, 55, of Hamilton, Mercer County, N.J., a mechanic, allegedly had more than 10,000 files of suspected child pornography;
Md F. Uddin, 43, of Elizabeth, N.J., an engineer, allegedly had more than 5,000 files of suspected child pornography;
Kody Knotts, 22, of Millville, N.J., along with his two brothers immediately below, allegedly had a combined total of nearly 5,000 files of suspected child pornography;
Alexander Knotts, 27, of Millville, N.J.;
Kyle Knotts, 23, of Millville, N.J.;
Laurence Duque, 42, of Dayton, N.J., allegedly had over 4,000 files of suspected child pornography;
Gregory Piszczek, 35, of Woodbridge, N.J., an IT professional, allegedly had over 4,000 files of suspected child pornography;
Kevin Groeger, 63, of Cranford, N.J., a postal worker, allegedly had over 2,000 files of suspected child pornography;
Pasquale "Charles" Albano, 75, of Point Pleasant, N.J., allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography; and
Juvenile Male, 17, referenced above, allegedly had over 1,000 files of suspected child pornography.
Paul Marinelli, 52, of South Brunswick, N.J., a Trenton police officer, charged with possession of child pornography.
James Cutrone, 54, of Hazlet, N.J., a youth swim coach, charged with distribution of child pornography.
Bryan San Andreas, 37, of Toms River, N.J., a piano teacher, charged with possession of child pornography.
John Parsons, 50, of Vineland, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Donald Williams, 39, of Camden, N.J., charged with distribution of child pornography.
Kevin Wenng, 35, of Cliffwood Beach, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Victor Kurynow, 58, of Bedminster, N.J., charged with attempted possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a minor.
Paul Fuhs, 44, of Laurel Springs, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Ryan Stemetzki, 26, of Maple Shade, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Robert Ruff, 56, of Delran, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Robert King, 63, of North Wildwood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Jason Locke, 42, of Manchester, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Stephen Slawinski, 60, of Morris Plains, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Herbert Ferreira, 43, of Dover, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Joseph Maruca, 26, of Berkeley Township, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
James Gilbertson, 60, of Manchester, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Christopher Todd, 49, of Lyndhurst, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Alexis Gonzalez, 28, of Hackensack, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Raul Rodriguez, 33, of Jersey City, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Dhanendhran Govender, 32, of East Windsor, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Luis Pacheco-Loja, 30, of Belleville, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Robert White, 66, of Morristown, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Jonathan Latiff 40, of Jersey City, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Anthony Gerace, 43, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., charged with distribution of child pornography.
Antonio Baang, 26, of Galloway Township, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Richard Lake, 65, of Trenton, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Federico Flores, 29, of Rahway, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
James Agin, 69, of Westwood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Fortino Rosales-Rodriguez, 22, of Oaklyn, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Justin Saavedra, 22, of Clifton, N.J., charged with distribution of child pornography.
Daniel Braz, 39, of South River, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Nelson Cintron, Jr., 54, of Collingswood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Michael Brown, 28, of Pennsauken, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Erik Baez, 38, of Sicklerville, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Larry Gonzalez, 45, of Elizabeth, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Erik Johnson, 49, charged by Union County Prosecutor's Office with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Marco Biason, 68, of Dover, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Brian Neilson, 55, of Metuchen, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Thomas Smith, 54, of Woodstown, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Zachary Brawer, 31, of Paramus, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Brian J. Gardner, 74, of Nutley, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
John T. Ruffner, 37, of Lumberton, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
John Skubiak, 62, of Deptford, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Nicholas J. Novak, 66, of Ocean Township, Monmouth County, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Eric MacAfee, 41, of Seaside Heights, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Jeison Padilla, 29, of Somerville, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography and conveying obscene materials to a minor.
Justin England, 31, of North Plainfield, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Eric Yourish, 61, of North Plainfield, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Christopher Dunham, 22, of Rockaway, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Justin Piccola, 23, of Randolph, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Nicolas Bencze, 36, of Maywood, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Michael Yosco, 70, of Garfield, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Male Juvenile, age 14, of Bergen County, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
Julio Garcia, 29, of Bridgeton, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Joseph Lawitz, 34, of Hamilton, Mercer County, N.J., charged with possession of child pornography.
James Livas, 22, of Hopatcong, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Robert Fuscarino, 27, of Hopatcong, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Donovan Roots, 19, of Pilesgrove, N.J., charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
OUT-OF-STATE ARRESTS
Porrino said two proactive investigations initiated by the New Jersey State Police extended beyond New Jersey's borders - with assistance from other state and federal authorities - to apprehend defendants charged with allegedly attempting to arrange the interstate trafficking of young children for sex:
George Castillo, 36, of Inglewood, Calif., faces federal charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and production of child pornography, as well as New Jersey charges including first-degree conspiracy to commit child trafficking. Castillo allegedly solicited an undercover New Jersey State Police detective - who pretended to be trafficking children - to fly a 4-year-old girl to Los Angeles so he could sexually assault her. He also allegedly solicited an undercover police detective in Washington, D.C., who posed as a father, to bring his "daughter," 9, to Los Angeles for sex at the same time the undercover from New Jersey was expected to arrive with the other girl. He was arrested on April 4 at Los Angeles International Airport when he arrived to meet the girls and their adult escorts. The charges stem from investigations by the New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Metropolitan Police Department/FBI Child Exploitation Task Force in Washington, D.C., and, in Los Angeles, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, LAX Task Force, and Los Angeles Police Department. The undercover investigators identified Castillo in separate investigations targeting pedophiles using the internet and social media.
Joseph Donohew, 26, of Brownsburg, Indiana, is charged in Indiana with attempted child molestation. He allegedly offered money to an undercover New Jersey State Police detective, whom he met on an instant messaging platform, to have sex with a 9-year-old girl. The undercover represented that he had a daughter, 9, and Donohew allegedly sent him $100 as a down payment to bring the girl to Indiana for sex. Donohew was arrested on July 13 at a gas station in Indiana, where he allegedly was to meet the father and girl. He had purchased a nightgown for the girl depicting characters from a Disney movie he believed was her favorite. The New Jersey State Police worked with the FBI, Brownsburg Police Department, Indiana State Police and Hendricks County Prosecutor's Office in Indiana.
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