BRICK – A Brick Township man is going to jail after encouraging minors to perform sexual behavior on video chats, which he then recorded, officials said.
Christopher Budelman, 37, was sentenced to seven years New Jersey State Prison relative to his previously entered guilty pleas to two counts of Sexual Assault. Due to the age of one of the victims, one of the sentences will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning that Budelman will be required to serve at least 85 percent of that prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility. The sentence as to the second victim will run concurrently.
Budelman pled guilty to both charges on October 4, 2024.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force detected that an individual, later identified as Budelman, was uploading images of child pornography to the internet using the Kik messenger app.
On September 27, 2022, detectives searched Budelman’s home in Brick and seized a desktop computer with a hard drive containing images of child sexual abuse material.
While they were searching the home, detectives learned that Budelman was out of the country and subsequently he was charged on a warrant and his name was entered into the National Crime Information Center Database.
On October 4, 2022, Budelman was taken into custody by Officers from United States Department of Homeland Security-Investigations Unit at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Budelman was extradited to Ocean County, lodged in the Ocean County Jail, and subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
A full forensic examination of Budelman’s electronic devices revealed that Budelman had enticed two minors – one in Colorado and one in Ohio – to engage in sexually explicit conduct while he engaged in acts of sexual self-gratification. He recorded and saved those video chats on his computer, authorities said.
As a consequence, on December 20, 2022, Budelman was additionally charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault, two counts of Sexual Assault, two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, two counts of Manufacturing Child Pornography, Distributing Child Pornography, Criminal Sexual Contact, and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
On December 20, 2022, Budelman surrendered himself to Brick Township Police Headquarters; he was transported to the Ocean County Jail where he has been lodged since that date.
On September 7, 2023, Budelman was charged by the United States Attorney’s Office with two counts of Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material and one count of Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material arising out of the above-described investigation.
On October 2, 2024, Budelman pled guilty to two counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material and one count of Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
On April 25, 2025, Judge Quraishi sentenced Budelman to 15 years in Prison as a result of his previously entered guilty pleas. Budelman’s federal sentence and state prison sentence will run concurrently.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater, Senior Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry, and Chief Trial Attorney Kristin Pressman, who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, United States Department of Homeland Security-Investigations Unit, New Jersey State Police K-9 Unit, Brick Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Butler County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Department, and Jefferson County (Colorado) Sheriff’s Department, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Budelman’s arrest, guilty plea, and now his state prison sentence.
