Kingston, NY
Police & Fire
State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online
State Police Warn Parents Amid Investigation Of Teens Being Sexually Targeted Online Predators in New York have been utilizing social media to bilk teen victims into sending sexually explicit photos that are then used to blackmail parents, police are cautioning. An alert was issued by New York State Police following multiple cases of teens being targeted by criminals while online, including one incident that led to a teenager committing suicide. Police said that the suspects have been locating teen victims on social media, where they befriend them and gain their trust. Once trust is established, investigators said that the suspects ask for photos or video of the teen, “usua…

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by Zak Failla
Massapequa, NY
News
Long Island Man Indicted For Alleged Rape Of Minor He Met On Snapchat Long Island Man Indicted For Alleged Rape Of Minor He Met On Snapchat
Long Island Man Indicted For Alleged Rape Of Minor He Met On Snapchat A Suffolk County man has been indicted for the alleged rape of a minor. Renato Oliva Garcia, age 22, of Mastic Beach, was indicted on Thursday, April 1, for meeting a teen on Snapchat and then taking her to his home where she was allegedly raped, authorities said. “This is a very concerning trend law enforcement is seeing where alleged predators are able to communicate with minors through social media and gain their trust before convincing them to meet in person,” Suffolk County District Attorney Sini said.  Garcia was arrested on Wednesday, March 17, for the incident which took place…

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by Kathy Reakes
Franklin Township, NJ
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: California Man Arrested After Trip To New Jersey For Sex With Girl, 14 Prosecutor: California Man Arrested After Trip To New Jersey For Sex With Girl, 14
Prosecutor: California Man Arrested After Trip To New Jersey For Sex With Girl, 14 A 22-year-old California man was arrested after he took a trip to New Jersey where he twice had sex with a 14-year-old girl he had been talking to online, authorities said. Justin R. Ganutan, of Stockton, CA, was having an online relationship with the girl when he traveled from the West Coast to Somerset County, to meet the girl, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said Monday. The victim, a Somerset County resident, told detectives she had sexual intercourse with Ganutan twice in Franklin Township during a trip he took last December specifically to meet her, Robertson said…

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by Cecilia Levine
Stony Point, NY
News
Attempted Rape Conviction Of Area Man Caught In An Online Sting Upheld By Courts Attempted Rape Conviction Of Area Man Caught In An Online Sting Upheld By Courts
Attempted Rape Conviction Of Area Man Caught In An Online Sting Upheld By Courts The attempted rape conviction of a Hudson Valley man has been upheld by the courts during an appeal of his 2019 guilty verdict during a jury trial. The Ulster County Appellate Division affirmed the conviction last year of Orange County resident Travis Sammeth, age 36, of Newburgh, who was found guilty of attempted rape in a case connected with a sting operation of online predators, said the Ulster County District Attorney David J. Clegg. His conviction stems from an incident on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, when Sammeth made contact with an undercover police officer working with an FBI task…

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by Kathy Reakes
Marlton-Evesham, NJ
News
Prosecutor: South Jersey Pastor Blackmailed Youths In 4 States, Demanded Nude Snapchat Photos Prosecutor: South Jersey Pastor Blackmailed Youths In 4 States, Demanded Nude Snapchat Photos
Prosecutor: South Jersey Pastor Blackmailed Youths In 4 States, Demanded Nude Snapchat Photos A 30-year-old pastor from Burlington County is accused of coaxing underage boys to send him nude photos and videos, authorities said. The Baptist youth pastor and music leader of a Hainesport church then used the material to blackmail his victims into performing sexual acts on themselves for his enjoyment, according to Burlington Count Prosecutor Scott Coffina. Sean Higgins, 30, of Temple Boulevard in Palmyra has been charged with a total of 28 crimes he committed while posing as a teenage girl, Coffina said.  Higgins is youth pastor at Harbor Baptist Church, and also serves as a teac…

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by Jon Craig
Elizabeth, NJ
Police & Fire
State AG: California Man, 25, Admits Flying To New Jersey For Oral Sex From 11-Year-Old Girl State AG: California Man, 25, Admits Flying To New Jersey For Oral Sex From 11-Year-Old Girl
State AG: California Man, 25, Admits Flying To New Jersey For Oral Sex From 11-Year-Old Girl A 25-year-old California man who traveled to an Elizabeth restaurant intending to receive oral sex from an 11-year-old girl pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault in Union County Superior Court on Thursday, authorities said. Ian Brewer began exchanging emails in December 2019 with an undercover New Jersey State Police detective. The NJSP detective posed as a man willing to pay Brewer $500 to sexually assault the 11-year-old daughter of his girlfriend, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. The detective told Brewer that he and his girlfriend were members of a group that regularly met …

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by Valerie Musson
Mount Pleasant, NY
News
Man, 64, Charged With Traveling Abroad From NY For Sex Acts With 13-Year-Old Man, 64, Charged With Traveling Abroad From NY For Sex Acts With 13-Year-Old
Man, 64, Charged With Traveling Abroad From NY For Sex Acts With 13-Year-Old A 64-year-old man has been accused of traveling abroad from New York to engage in sex acts with a minor. Following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the indictment filed with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York accuses Long Island resident Thomas Blaha, of Garden City, with going to the Philippines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. "The defendant allegedly traveled halfway across the globe to sexually exploit a mino…

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by Joe Lombardi
Stony Point, NY
News
Area Man Convicted Of Attempted Rape In Case Connected With Sting Of Online Predators Area Man Convicted Of Attempted Rape In Case Connected With Sting Of Online Predators
Area Man Convicted Of Attempted Rape In Case Connected With Sting Of Online Predators A 35-year-old man has been convicted by a jury of attempted rape in a case connected with a sting operation of online predators. Travis Sammeth of Newburgh was convicted Thursday, Aug. 22, by an Ulster County jury, said the Ulster County District Attorney's Office. His conviction stems from an incident on Sept. 8, 2018, when Sammeth made contact with an undercover police officer through an online website, the DA's Office said. He expressed interest in having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl and made arrangements to meet with who he believed to be the girl and her stepfather. When Sam…

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by Kathy Reakes