NJ Man Sentenced For Seeking Sex With Girl, 13, In Bensalem

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —A New Jersey man convicted of trying to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex in Bensalem has been sentenced to six to 12 years in a state correctional institution, authorities said.

Steven Boutte, 53, of Burlington, N.J., was convicted in December of criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, criminal attempt to commit statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and related charges.

On Wednesday, he appeared before Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley and was sentenced to six to 12 years in state prison. He was also ordered to undergo an assessment by the Sex Offender Assessment Board, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.

This investigation began on Dec. 1, 2022, when Boutte began a conversation with who he believed to be a 13-year-old female on a social media dating app.

The female informed Boutte of her age, but he continued to express his intent on having a sexual relationship with her.

Over several days, Boutte engaged in a very sexually explicit conversation with the juvenile. He expressed his desire and intent to meet her for sex, even after the juvenile told him multiple times that she was only 13 and attending middle school.

Boutte arranged to meet the juvenile for a sexual encounter on Dec. 13, 2022, in Bensalem Township, but when that one was canceled, he arranged a second meeting three days later.

In between the meeting dates, Boutte drove to the location and texted the juvenile. When Boutte showed up for the Dec. 16, 2022, meeting, the back seats of his station wagon were folded down.

The investigation was conducted by the Bensalem Township Police Department, with assistance from the FBI Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force and the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.