A Williingboro 25-year-old with a history of stalking and threatening young girls through social media can expect to spend up to eight years in prison for producing child pornography, and for forcing a 13-year-old girl to send him digital explicit images of herself.

Craig L. Wyatt (NJ Atty. General's Office)
Craig L. Wyatt (NJ Atty. General's Office)
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Craig L. Wyatt pleaded guilty to a first-degree charge of manufacturing child pornography, and a third-degree possession count, according to the office of New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino. He is being heldi n the Burlington County Jail, with sentencing scheduled for August 18.

Prosecutors seek an eight-year term pursuant to New Jersey's No Early Release Act, which would keep Wyatt in stir for seven years before parole consideration. Post-release, he'll be required to register as a sex offender, under Megan's Law, and lifetime parole supervision.

Authorities said that Wyatt spent more than a year behind bars for five terroristic-threat convictions in Burlington and Atlantic Counties, for harassing girls and sending threatening messages via Facebook, and that he was on probation during the time of the encounter involved in today's plea.

New Jersey State Police investigators alleged that Wyatt met his most recent victim on Facebook in May 2014, adding that she claimed to be 15 years of age.

Wyatt plied the teen with compliments and affectionate text messages, until he obtained nude images, investigators said. At that point, he demanded more, became increasingly strident, and threatened to abduct her unless she provided the images, police said, noting 10 instances in May and June 2014.

Investigators said that Wyatt kept up a relentless barrage of texts and Facebook messages, threatening to abduct her or post the images already in his possession if she didn't cooperate, that he would have help in pulling her from her home, and that he was going to leave her pregnant.

A relative of the victim contacted state police. At the time of Wyatt's arrest in October 2014, state police said they recovered 36 lewd images, 34 saved in his cell phone and two in his Facebook account. Wyatt was indicted in November 2015.

"Wyatt's beguiling demeanor towards his 13-year-old victim gave way to threats of abduction, rape, and blackmail," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. "The best defense against online predators is for parents to closely monitor the online activity of their children."

Deputy Attorney General Denise Grugan led the state's case before a grand jury. Wyatt was represented by Burlington County Deputy Assistant Public Defender John Cirrincione.

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