Lakehurst Man Faces Federal Charges In Snapchat Luring Case

TRENTON, NJ — A Lakehurst man who was charged last May with trying to lure a 14-year-old girl for sex in Snapchat and Instagram chats is facing federal charges of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said Tuesday.

Kevin Van Pelt, 29, of Lakehurst, has been charged with one count of online enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct and one count of possession of child pornography. Van Pelt appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman in Trenton federal court and was released on $100,000 bond, Carpenito's office said.

The federal charges are in addition to charges filed in May 2019 when Van Pelt was arrested by authorities in Gloucester County in connection with his attempts to meet the girl for sex. Van Pelt met the 14-year-old victim online and then talked to her through Snapchat and Instagram, trying to convince her to meet with him, authorities said.

The federal charging document includes excerpts from conversations Van Pelt had with the girl. Initially the girl, who reported the situation to school authorities, told Van Pelt she was 18, according to the document. But when she later admitted she was 14, Van Pelt continued to talk with her and request nude and sexual photos.

At one point, according to the charging document, he says to the victim: "I was always attracted to girls younger than me," and "Most people don’t like pedophiles so I didn’t want to say I prefer 13-16 lol."

In other conversations in the charging document, Van Pelt says he was turned on by her being underage and says he would have had sex with her when she was 9 years old.

Authorities allege Van Pelt, who was a part-time sports reporter for NJ Advance Media according to his LinkedIn profile, repeatedly asked the girl for nude photos and later shared photos and a video in a forum where child pornography is exchanged.

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