Lakewood Man Faces Federal Charges In Child Porn Case

TRENTON, NJ — A Lakewood man and convicted sex offender who's being held on charges of enticing an Oklahoma girl to send him sexually explicit videos now is facing federal charges in the case.

Samuel Schwinger, 34, has been charged with one count each of sexual exploitation of a minor, online enticement of a minor to produce child pornography and receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.

Schwinger, who was arrested in April following an investigation by the Ocean County prosecutor's office, remains in the Ocean County Jail. His appearance in federal court will be scheduled for a later date, Carpenito's office said.

Authorities say Schwinger met an underage girl through an online social media application while he pretended to be an underage girl. Schwinger asked the girl to send him sexually explicit videos through the application and directed her to produce certain images in the videos.

During his communications with the victim, Schwinger also sent her sexually explicit videos claiming to be the girl depicted in those videos.

In the April arrest, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said the investigation started in Oklahoma after the parents of a young girl contacted the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Department saying their daughter had been contacted by someone in New Jersey posing as a young girl asking her to send explicit videos of herself.

Schwinger was serving 10 years' probation in connection with a sexual assault in New York, Billhimer said, and following the investigation was charged with possession of marijuana along with production of images/videos of children under the age of 16 engaged in prohibited sexual acts, distribution of images/videos of children under the age of 16 engaged in prohibited sexual acts, and possession of images/videos of children under the age of 16 engaged in prohibited sexual acts.

The federal charge of online enticement carries a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum fine of $250,000. The charge of sexual exploitation of a child carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The receipt of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine, Carpenito's office said.

Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael in Newark; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lakewood Police Department with the investigation leading to the charges.

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