Crime & Safety

Freehold Man Targeted Girls For Sexual Photos Via Facebook: Feds

He is accused of targeting girls as young as 12 and pretending to be their boyfriend to get them to send explicit photos.

BUFFALO, NY — A Freehold man has been indicted in a New York court on charges of child pornography and cyberstalking, accused of posing as a younger male to entice girls as young as 12 to send him sexually explicit photos, federal prosecutors announced.

Timothy Myers, 34, of Freehold, has been charged in a 29-count indictment with production, receipt, and distribution of child pornography, sexual enticement of minors, and cyberstalking, U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. said.

Myers is accused of pretending to be a younger male using the names CJ Mikowski and Colin James on Facebook to target girls, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque said. Myers then allegedly convinced the girls that they were in a romantic relationship with him and persuaded the girls to send him sexually explicit images.

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When the girls did not send Myers the requested images, or attempted to break off communication, Myers threatened to expose them by sending their pictures to other people, Lamarque said. In the case of one victim, Myers drove the minor from New York to New Jersey for sex on two occasions.

There are at least five victims identified in the Western District of New York, Lamarque said, and the incidents happened between December 2016 and August 2017.

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The charges carry a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

Myers was arraigned Monday morning in Buffalo and is being held pending further proceedings, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by New York State Police, under the direction of Maj. Edward Kennedy, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.

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