31 in NJ charged in child-sex bust: Retired cop, mailman, retail workers

Ryan Olson, 20, of Williamstown, allegedly offered underage girls he met online prizes and money in exchange for sexually explicit pictures and videos of themselves.

Ndachi Ndungu, 25, of Jersey City, is accused of trying to extort a 12-year-old girl he met on the gaming app Discord, to send him sexually graphic photos of herself.

Robert Reinhard, 52, of Telford, Pennsylvania, was busted for allegedly offering to pay $300 to have sex with a 14 year old girl in West Deptford.

During a virtual news conference on Wednesday, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said these three men along with 28 others had been arrested as part of Operation 24/7 and charged with sexually exploiting children online.

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He said the suspects “possessed and or distributed videos and images of child sexual abuse, including in many cases videos of young children being raped by adults.”

Grewal said these types of heinous crimes re-victimize children “each and every time those videos and images of their suffering and exploitation are shared online.”

Chat apps and gaming platforms remain favorite hunting grounds for child predators, and even as the pandemic winds down, many children have continued to spend more time online, and predators are taking advantage of this dynamic.

“The State Police received 39% more tips in just the first 6 months of 2021 than they received in the entire year in 2019,” said Grewal.

The suspects

Ryan Olson, 20, of Williamstown, N.J. Student and employee of online retailer. Arrested June 29. Manufacturing Child Sexual Abuse Material (first-degree), Sharing Obscene Material with Minor (third-degree), Impairing or Debauching the Morals of a Child (third- degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Ndachi Ndungu, 25, of Jersey City, N.J. Temporary Employee. Arrested May 28. Attempted Manufacturing Child Pornography (second-degree), Attempted Theft by Extortion (second-degree).

Robert Reinhart, 52, of Telford, Pa. Construction Employee. Arrested April 1. Luring (second-degree), Attempted Sexual Assault (second-degree), Attempted Human Trafficking (second-degree).

Samuel Santiago, 54, of Carteret, N.J. Retired Hudson County corrections officer. Arrested June 30. Impairing or Debauching the Morals of a Child (third-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree), Criminal Sexual Contact (fourth-degree).

Peter Eskow, 45, of Perth Amboy, N.J. Technology manager. Arrested June 24. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree, over 1,000 items). Eskow allegedly possessed more than 80,000 files of child sexual abuse material on an external hard drive.

George Oakes, 57, of Belvidere, N.J. Construction employee. Arrested April 14. Manufacturing Child Sexual Abuse Material (first-degree—allegedly took photos with cell phone of child sexual abuse material on his computer), Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Johnathan Valencia, 36, of Wayne, N.J. Restaurant manager. Arrested May 4. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Justin Holtz, 20, of Southampton, N.J. Farm worker. Arrested June 4. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Jonathan Dunston, 53, of Pemberton, N.J. Truck stop employee. Arrested June 4. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Eugene Kim, 20, of Evesham, N.J. Student. Arrested April 16. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Joshua Gamboa, 20, of Bellmawr, N.J. Unemployed/U.S. Army Reserve. Arrested April 20. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Matthew Porch, 19, of Cherry Hill, N.J. Student and HVAC technician. Arrested April 23. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Sean McMichael, 38, of Cherry Hill, N.J. Employment unknown. Arrested May 21. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Fabian Cervantes, 18, of West Orange, N.J. Student and restaurant employee. Arrested May 19. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Joshua Hunt, 28, of Paulsboro, N.J. Employment unknown. Arrested April 30. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Brian Lusardi, 48, of Glendora, N.J. Skating rink employee. Arrested April 15. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Ryan Becker, 32, of South Amboy, N.J. Warehouse worker. Arrested June 30. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree), Tampering with Evidence (fourth-degree).

Derrick J. Anannab, 39, of Holmdel, N.J. Medical assistant. Arrested June 17. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Luis Torres-Mendieta, 31, of Neptune City, N.J. Restaurant employee. Arrested May 27. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Carl Aliwalas, 29, of Neptune Township, N.J. Restaurant employee. Arrested May 14. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

John Coluzzi, 22, of Manalapan, N.J. Train operator for NJ Transit. Arrested May 5. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Adam Cohen, 45, of Oxford, N.J. Unemployed. Arrested on June 30. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Garrett Flynn, 22, of Washington Borough (Warren County), N.J. Retail Associate. Arrested June 23. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (second-degree, over 1,000 items).

Keith Rodenbach, 55, of Mays Landing, N.J. Unemployed. Arrested May 26. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Phong Nguyen, 44, of Pennsauken, N.J. Nail technician. Arrested April 14. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Gordon Strater, 55, of Blackwood, N.J. U.S. Postal Service carrier. Arrested May 12. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Hau Tran, 47, of Pennsauken, N.J. Unemployed. Arrested May 21. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

James Camille, 65, of Cherry Hill, N.J. Employment unknown. Arrested June 30. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Eugenio Dalessandro, 52, of Woolwich, N.J. Unemployed. Arrested May 11. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Edward Robles, 34, of Sewell, N.J. Employment unknown. Arrested May 3. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Franco Grasparil, 21, of Sayreville, N.J. Student. Arrested April 28. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (third-degree).

Child porn and predator arrests in NJ

Operation 24/7 follows a similar crackdown during the early months of the pandemic last year, Operation Screen Capture, that resulted in the arrest of 21 alleged child sexual predators.

During 2020, a total of 6,130 predator tips were received by authorities, however Grewal said that number is expected to be surpassed this year.

The public can report tips to 911 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at report.cybertip.org.

Lyndsay Ruotolo, the director of the state Division of Criminal Justice, said many of the arrests made in Operation 24/7 were the result of cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, but undercover work by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was also instrumental.

“Those investigations targeted potential hands-on predators, and those sharing child sexual abuse material," she said.

She said the suspects are charged with a wide variety of crimes including the manufacture, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, attempted human trafficking, attempted sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, sharing obscene material with a minor and attempted theft by extortion.

Investigators seized electronic devices for forensic examination.

How to protect your children from online predators

Grewal said families must remain vigilant about their children’s online activity, and they can do so by following a few simple steps.

“Teach your children that the people they encounter on their phones, on their devices, on their computers may not be who they seem,” he said. "Children should be wary of interacting with strangers online.”

He also suggested:

• Parents should familiarize themselves with popular apps and gaming platforms that predators use to target young victims.

• Check the security settings on your kids phones and on apps and games, find out who they’re able to speak with, and lock down features so they can’t communicate with strangers.

• Constantly remind your children not to share personal information with strangers online, either through email, chats, or even a revealing screen name, and they should never share inappropriate photos.

• Be wary if your child seems secretive about their phone or computer.

Grewal said phones and gaming devices should be in a central location in the home where parents can monitor them, “and young children should not have their devices in their bedrooms at night, so create a family charging station where all mobile devices are stored before bedtime.”

Grewal said this latest crackdown is meant to send a strong message to those who seek to harm our young people.

“You can’t hide behind the anonymity of the internet because through collaborative law enforcement efforts like this one, we will find you and we will arrest you,” he said.