S.J. Man Threatened to Kidnap, Impregnate 13-Year-Old Girl: Attorney General

A South Jersey man allegedly stalked a 13-year-old girl online, and threatened to kidnap and impregnate her to coerce her into sending him sexually explicit photos of herself, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said Wednesday morning.

Craig L. Wyatt, 23, of Willingboro, was indicted on 10 counts of first-degree manufacturing child pornography, three counts of second-degree theft by extortion, three counts of third-degree criminal coercion, third-degree possession of child pornography, third-degree making terroristic threats and fourth-degree cyber harassment.

Wyatt previously was convicted of five counts of terroristic threats in Burlington and Atlantic counties for stalking other girls on Facebook and sending them threatening messages.

He served 404 days in jail, and was on probation at the time of the conduct alleged in the new indictment.

Wyatt met the girl on Facebook in May of 2014. He befriended the girl, who initially said she was 15, allegedly flattering her and sending her affectionate texts.

However, after he allegedly obtained one or more nude photos of her, he allegedly became more threatening.

Wyatt allegedly used threats to obtain additional photos of the victim of a more sexually explicit nature 10 times between May 9 and June 2, 2014.

He allegedly repeatedly threatened to kidnap her and/or post the photos of her he already possessed on the Internet if she did not meet his demands for sexually explicit photos. These alleged demands were made in a series of texts and Facebook messages.

He allegedly said others were going to help him kidnap her and he was going to take her away and get her pregnant.

A relative learned of the threats and contacted the State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit, which conducted the investigation.

Wyatt was arrested on Oct. 31, 2014.

Detectives allegedly discovered 36 sexually explicit images of the victim after seizing his cell phone. The cell phone contained 34 of the images, and the other two were saved in his Facebook account.

Wyatt currently is lodged in the Burlington County Jail with bail set at $100,000. He will be arraigned at a later date.

“In case after case, we see this alarming pattern of a predator who befriends a young girl using the anonymity of the Internet and then quickly turns from a friend into a terrifying stalker,” Hoffman said. “We urge parents to warn their children of these sexual predators, who ruthlessly exploit the fears of their young victims to gain control of them. We intend to make sure that Wyatt pays for the abhorrent crimes he allegedly committed against this child.”

“Wyatt has been charged multiple times with engaging in predatory behavior against underage girls using social media,” Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice said. “In this case, however, his alleged conduct includes manufacturing child pornography, which carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years. We’ll continue to work closely with the State Police to make sure alleged sexual predators like Wyatt are put in prison for lengthy terms.”

“Unfortunately, Wyatt is not the only alleged child predator lurking on the Internet,” Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said. “The New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit will continue to aggressively root out the depraved who seek to exploit children, but it is equally important for parents to be the first line of defense by monitoring their child’s online activity.”

The first-degree counts of manufacturing child pornography carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison, including a mandatory minimum term of parole ineligibility equal to 85 percent of the sentence imposed, and a fine of up to $500,000.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

Fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.