Alleged Child Molester Sought Murder Of His Attorney: Prosecutor

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Beachwood man who is being held on charges of child molestation and child pornography is now accused of seeking to have his attorney killed, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced Friday.

Michael A. Nocera, 43, of Beachwood was charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit murder, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

Nocera has been held at the Ocean County Jail since August 2017 on charges of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 and taking sexually explicit photos of a child, as well as taking sexually explicit photos or video of someone without their consent, according to the charges on the Ocean County Corrections website. The charges include child endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child he was supervising.

Della Fave said the prosecutor's office was alerted in December 2017 that Nocera had been having conversations expressing his wish that his attorney be killed.

At that point, the major crime/homicide unit of the prosecutor's and the county corrections department, with the help of the prosecutor’s High Tech Crimes Unit, worked together to confirm and immortalize Nocera’s murder solicitations, Della Fave said.

During the conversations, Nocera offered $30,000 for someone to kidnap his attorney, drive the attorney to a wooded area and shot the attorney in the head, Della Fave said. Nocera also said he wanted the body burned and the remains disposed of in a body of water, Della Fave said.

Nocera said he would pay the money once that was completed, Della Fave said.

Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater reviewed the case investigation and approved the above charge. Nocera remains incarcerated in the Ocean County Jail.

Photo provided by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office