TRENTON – Two men convicted for attempting to lure underage girls they met on social media to meet for a sexual encounter were sentenced to state prison.
Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced the sentencing noting the “girls” were in reality undercover detectives participating in “Operation Open House,” a multi-agency undercover operation in September 2018.
The operation was led by the Attorney General’s Office and resulted in 24 men being arrested for allegedly using social media to lure underage girls and boys for sexual activities.
Ocean County Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan sentenced William Singleton, 25, Pemberton and Charles Schlottfeld, 28, Bayville to four years in state prison. Both pleaded guilty to second-degree luring, Singleton in February and Schlottfeld in July.
Each will be required to register as sex offenders under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for the rest of their lives.
Singleton was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Thomas Huynh while Schlottfeld was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Rachael Weeks from the Division of Criminal Justice Financial and Cyber Crimes Bureau.
The defense attorney for Singleton was Assistant Deputy Public Defender Marissa K. DeAnna, Ocean County and Alexandra Nieves-Martinez, Berkeley Township for Scholottfeld
Both men were arrested in September 2018 during Operation Open House. In each case, an undercover detective with the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force encountered the defendant on social media, and the defendant, believing the undercover detective was a 14-year-old girl, asked her to meet him for sexual activity.
The men discussed in detail the sex acts they planned to perform with the “girl.” They were arrested in September of 2018 when they arrived at the undercover house in Toms River, where dozens of officers and agents participating in Operation Open House were prepared to arrest offenders and process any evidence seized.
Attorney General Grewal said, “with these prison sentences, we are sending a strong message to predators who think they can freely hunt for vulnerable children online.”
He added that his office would continue to identify and arrest offenders and were making such crimes a high priority.
“We especially need parents and guardians to do their part by warning children that these dangerous predators use popular social media services, gaming platforms, and chat apps to target unsuspecting victims,” Grewal added. The IAC Task Force routinely conducts undercover chat investigations on social media platforms leading to arrests of hands-on offenders and defendants seeking to lure children.
Those with information about the distribution of child sexual abuse materials on the internet – or sexual abuse of children – should contact ICAC Task Force tipline at 888-648-6007.
