More Charges Filed Against Registered Sex Offender

Samuel Schwinger. (Photo courtesy Ocean County Prosecutor's Office)

TOMS RIVER – The Lakewood man already arrested for numerous child sex abuse charges had more charges filed against him Wednesday.

Samuel Schwinger, 34, was additionally charged with aggravated sexual assault and child endangerment. He was arrested April 5 for various child pornography and underage sexual contact charges.

He’s being held at Ocean County Jail.

“The additional charges are the result of a forensic examination of Schwinger’s cell phone by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Schwinger’s phoned was seized during his arrest April 5. “The forensic examination revealed videos, text messages and chats where Schwinger was posing as an 11-year-old girl, coercing minor victims into performing sex acts.”

Schwinger was in contact with an underaged girl from Oklahoma, whose parents reported that someone posing an 11-year-old girl had contacted their daughter asking for a sexually explicit video of herself.

He is a registered sex offender out of Cook County, New York, serving a 10-year probation.

“This defendant was communicating with underage children through the live stream video app LIVE.ME. This app uses geolocation to share videos. Users can target the exact location of the person sharing the video. This is extremely dangerous and parents should be aware if their children have this app on their phone. Parents should be vigilant in monitoring their children’s online activity.  It is important to know what your children are viewing, sharing and who they are communicating with,” Billhimer said.

Billhimer said more videos and chats were found on Schwinger’s phone. His office is trying to identify more victims.