Allegations that he persuaded a 13-year-old Texas girl to send him photos of herself in the nude land a Browns Mills man behind bars.

Anthony Merletto (Burlington Co. Prosecutor's Office)
Anthony Merletto (Burlington Co. Prosecutor's Office)
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Anthony Merletto, 19, is being held without bail on two counts of child endangerment, according to the office of Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi. His case is scheduled to go to a grand jury.

Merletto's January 6 arrest stemmed from a probe that began in September 2016. The County's High Tech Crime Unit was tipped by Facebook about an account that was flagged because of the possible presence of child porn.

Investigators said that Merletto fabricated a profile, claiming to be a male fitness model, engaging several correspondents in sexually-explicit dialogues, including the teenager who eventually sent the photos.

Detectives who executed the search warrant last week said that the cell phone they confiscated contained numerous still images and videos of child pornography.

The probe also entailed members of the New Jersey State Police and the Pemberton Township Police Department.

Charges are accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until, found guilty in a court of law.

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