Metuchen Man Sentenced For Attempting To Lure Minor For Sex: AG

METUCHEN, NJ — A Metuchen man was sentenced to prison on Friday for attempting to lure an underage boy on social media for a sexual encounter, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said.

The underage boy in this case was an undercover detective participating in “Operation Open House,” a multi-agency operation in September 2018 led by the Attorney General’s Office that resulted in arrests of 24 men who allegedly used social media to lure underage girls and boys, authorities said.

Robert Lisicki, 51, of Metuchen was sentenced to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Michael T. Collins in Ocean County, Bruck’s office said. Lisicki pleaded guilty to second-degree luring on July 1 and will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.

Lisicki was arrested in September 2018 after an undercover detective with the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force encountered him on social media. Believing the undercover detective was a 15-year-old boy, Lisicki asked the “boy” to meet him for a sexual encounter, Bruck said.

Lisicki was arrested on Sept. 8, 2018 in Toms River, N.J., where he agreed to meet the “underage” boy, Bruck said. Officers participating in Operation Open House were prepared to arrest Lisicki and process any evidence seized, according to Bruck.

“The message from today’s sentence is clear: if you prey on children, you will go to prison,” the Acting Attorney General said in a statement.

“We will continue doing everything we can to keep the children of New Jersey safe.”

Director Lyndsay V. Ruotolo of the Division of Criminal Justice said Operation Open House is a great example of “collaborative efforts” to protect children from sex offenders

“We urge parents and guardians to remember that social media creates potential opportunities for those who prey on children, and to remain vigilant regarding their children’s online activities, just as law enforcement is remaining vigilant with our proactive investigations,” Ruotolo said.

In addition to investigating cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, members of the New Jersey State Police ICAC Unit, the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau, and the New Jersey ICAC Task Force routinely conduct undercover chat investigations on social media platforms leading to arrests of offenders and defendants seeking to lure children, Bruck said.

They also conduct investigations to apprehend offenders by monitoring peer-to-peer file-sharing networks and identifying the IP addresses of those sharing child sexual abuse material, the AG said.

AG Bruck and Director Ruotolo urge anyone with information about the distribution of child sexual abuse material on the internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.

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