24 Alleged Child Predators Arrested In Big Statewide NJ Bust

Twenty-four alleged child predators from across New Jersey – including a police officer who headed a county SWAT team – were arrested in a statewide bust known as “Operation Open House,” authorities announced on Tuesday. Patch has the video showing the press conference that revealed the bust.

The multi-agency undercover operation targeted men who allegedly were using social media in an attempt to lure underage girls and boys for sexual activity, according to a release from the Office of Attorney General.

The underage “children” were, in fact, undercover officers, according to authorities. Most of the defendants were arrested when they arrived at a house in Toms River, where they allegedly expected to find their victim home alone.

One of them was Richard C. Conte, 47, who was busted earlier this month in Toms River as the result of the undercover operation, police said. Conte, who was off-duty at the time, believed he was going to be meeting a 15-year-old girl, police said.

Conte allegedly claimed in online chats he was 19 and he had condoms in his pocket, according to the OAG release.

Conte, who has been a police officer since 1991 and with Howell since 1997, has been the commander of the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team since 2009. He was promoted to sergeant in January 2017. He has been suspended without pay, police said.

Read more: Howell Officer, SWAT Team Leader Accused Of Luring: Police Chief

At the Toms River location, Conte and others allegedly found dozens of law enforcement officers prepared to arrest them and process any evidence seized, according the release.

“It is a frightening reality that sexual predators are lurking on social media, ready to strike if they find a child who is vulnerable,” said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. “To counter that threat, we are working collaboratively and aggressively across all levels of law enforcement to apprehend these sex offenders. We want child predators to know that we are on social media too – and the child they target may be the undercover officer who puts them in handcuffs. That is the message of Operation Open House.”

The arrests in Operation Open House were made over a five-day period from Sept. 5 through Sept. 9. In addition to a police officer, those arrested included a nurse, a firefighter, college students, and a registered sex offender, according to the release.

One defendant travelled to the undercover house all the way from the Bronx, NY, where he resides.

All 24 defendants are charged with second-degree luring. Many defendants face additional charges, including second-degree attempted sexual assault on a minor and third-degree attempted debauching the morals of a child. Five men face third-degree charges of attempted sharing obscene materials with a child for allegedly sending photos of their genitals to undercover detectives, according to the release.

The undercover law enforcement members who conducted the chats with the defendants were specially trained members of the ICAC Task Force. The defendants typically initiated contact based on profiles posted on social media platforms by the undercover detectives and agents, according to the release.

The social platforms that were used in these encounters included Kik, Skout, Whisper and Grindr. Once chatting began, the undercover officers clearly identified themselves as underage girls or boys.

Despite that information, the defendants allegedly engaged the purported “children” in conversations about sex, and all 24 defendants are alleged to have made arrangements to meet the “children” for sex. The chats were conducted over a period of several weeks leading up to the “meet-up” week when arrests were made, according to the release.

The following 24 men were arrested in Operation Open House. All face second-degree charges of attempted luring or enticing a child with a purpose to commit a criminal offense against the child. They allegedly believed they were communicating with a minor as described in parentheses. The defendants face additional charges as indicated.

• Mina G. Beshay, 27, of Monroe Township (Girl, 15) Beshay is a security guard. Additional charges: Attempted Debauching Morals of a Child (3rddegree), Attempted Showing Obscene Material to a Minor (3rd degree).
• Christopher Vargas, 29, of Toms River (Boy, 15) Vargas is a registered nurse.
• Joshua Rauter, 31, of Little Egg Harbor Township (Girl, 14) Rauter is a municipal public works employee. Additional charges: Attempted Debauching Morals of a Child (3rd degree), Attempted Showing Obscene Material to a Minor (3rd degree).
• Joseph Martin, 35, of Seaside Heights (Girl, 14) Martin is unemployed. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• Richard Hoffman, 23, of Mays Landing (Girl, 14) Hoffman is a firefighter and a college student.
• Volvi Lowinger, 23, of Lakewood (Girl, 15) Lowinger is a college student. Additional charges: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree), Attempted Debauching Morals of a Child (3rd degree), Attempted Showing Obscene Material to a Minor (3rd degree).
• Thomas Graciano, 28, of Brick, (Boy, 15) Graciano is a physical therapist in a retirement community.
• Thomas Blumensteel, 47, of Manchester (Boy, 15) Blumensteel is a hotel manager and a registered sex offender. He was sentenced to three years in New Jersey State Prison in 1997 for aggravated criminal sexual contact for sexually assaulting a boy, 13, whom he was supervising as a church counselor. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• Richard Conte, 47, of Farmingdale (Girl, 15) Conte is a police sergeant with the Howell Township Police Department.
• Thomas Fuller, 44, Toms River (Boy, 15) Fuller is an assistant manager/sterilization technician. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• Zachary Vincent, 24, of Lacey (Girl, 15) Vincent is a landscaper. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• William Singleton, 24, of Pemberton Township (Girl, 14) Singleton is a restaurant worker. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nddegree).
• Jonathan Vece, 22, of Turnersville (Girl, 14) Vece is a canvasser. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• Lawrence Ivancic, 51, of Toms River (Girl, 14) Ivancic is unemployed. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• Robert Lisicki, 51, of Metuchen (Boy, 15) Lisicki is a train conductor. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• Dylan Daffron, 28, of Lacey (Boy, 15) Daffron is a cashier at a retail store. Additional charges: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nddegree), Attempted Debauching Morals of a Child (3rd degree), Attempted Showing Obscene Material to a Minor (3rd degree).
• Steven Portnoy, 27, of Egg Harbor Township (Girl, 15) Pornoy is unemployed. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• David Studnicky, 64, of Toms River (Boy, 15) Studnicky is employed as a dry cleaner. Additional charges: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree), Attempted Debauching Morals of a Child (3rd degree), Attempted Showing Obscene Material to a Minor (3rd degree).
• Anthony Perfidio, 24, of Barnegat (Boy, 15) Perfidio is a data entry clerk.
• Brian Degnan, 33, of Toms River (Boy, 15) Degnan is a data entry clerk.
• Nabindranauth Nandalall, 24, of Bronx (Girl, 15) Nandalall is unemployed.
• William D. Davis, 23, Bayville (Girl, 15) Davis is a consultant.
• Charles Schlottfeld, 26, of Bayville (Girl, 14) Schlottfeld is a mechanic. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).
• Douglass Walton, 54, of Hillsborough (Boy, 14) Walton is employed in produce. Additional charge: Attempted Sexual Assault on a Minor (2nd degree).

Most of the defendants in Operation Open House were arrested at the undercover house in Toms River – a four-bedroom, residence – while a few were arrested at other meet-up locations or were stopped in their cars after driving to the vicinity of those locations. according to the release.

Those who went to the undercover house allegedly expected to find their victims home alone. Instead, they were arrested upon arrival, sometimes by teams that included the very officer who portrayed the child they targeted for sex, according to the release.

The undercover house was staffed with dozens of law enforcement officers and evidence technicians. Attorneys were stationed nearby at the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, according to the release.

Electronic devices that were seized from the defendants were previewed at the scene by evidence technicians when defendants gave consent, according to the release. Attorneys and detectives drafted search warrants for other seized digital devices. All of the devices were taken to the forensic computer laboratory at the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for full forensic examinations.

Those examinations, which are ongoing, will enable investigators to determine if the devices contain evidence of any prior encounters by the defendants with underage victims, which might constitute additional cases of luring, sexual assault or child endangerment, according to the release.

The defendants were lodged in the Ocean County Jail until detention hearings were held last week. Thomas Blumensteel, a registered sex offender, was ordered detained in jail pending trial, according to the relese. The other defendants were released subject to stringent pre-trial monitoring conditions, including at a minimum reporting regularly to Pre-Trial Services staff and prohibitions from using the Internet except for work, or having any unsupervised contact with children under 18.

Contewas suspended from his job, ordered to surrender his weapons, and ordered to remain under home detention.

“We have no higher priority than protecting children, and we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of those who seek to victimize them,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Operation Open House is a great example of how law enforcement agencies work best when they work together. I commend our partners on the ICAC Task Force, particularly the State Police and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, who coordinated this operation with the Division of Criminal Justice.”

Here is the video of the press conference:

OAG photo