Urgent warning about sextortion in NJ — what parents need to know

🚨 New York man traveled to NJ to have sex with 13-year-old

📱 Coerced victim into sex through sextortion scheme

🚨 More alleged victims identified

A man from New York now faces decades in prison for a sextortion scheme that coerced a 13-year-old victim to have sex in an Atlantic County hotel room.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced the conviction Monday of 37-year-old Zachary Williams on federal charges of travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, production of and possession of child pornography, and coercion and enticement of a minor.

Prosecutors say Williams first met his victim on the Snapchat app. He claimed to be 17.

After convincing the 13-year-old victim to send nude photos, he then threatened to send the photos to the victim's family and friends unless the victim agreed to meet.

A short time later, Sellinger says, "He ultimately convinced the minor to meet him at a hotel in Atlantic County, New Jersey, and agreed to allow the victim to delete the nude photographs from his phone. On Oct. 2, 2020, Williams traveled to a hotel in Atlantic County and, two days later, engaged in sexual intercourse with the minor in his hotel room. Afterward, despite his earlier promises, Williams continued to send messages to the minor threatening to expose the minor’s nude photographs."

Williams was arrested after FBI agents, posing as his victim, lured him to the same Atlantic County hotel.

The U.S. attorney's office says they located "numerous images of child pornography" on Williams cell phone and have identified other potential victims.

FBI warns about growing number of sextortion crimes

The FBI has been warning about a sharp uptick in the number of sextortion crimes targeting minors in New Jersey and nationwide for months. Often, these crimes can lead victims to self-harm and have led to suicide.

According to the agency, they have seen a 20% increase in reporting of financially motivated sextortion incidents involving minor victims compared to the same time period the previous year. The sextortion involved at least 12,600 victims—primarily boys—and led to at least 20 suicides.

Victims are typically males between the ages of 14 to 17, but any child can become a victim.

Many victims fail to report sextortion

The crime is typically underreported with the victim of sextortion fearing they will get into trouble.

The FBI stresses it is not the victim who is breaking the law.

For the victim, the FBI says the situation can feel really confusing, and the criminals count on the victims feeling too unsure, scared, or embarrassed to tell someone.

"Even if this started on an app or site that you are too young to be on. Even if you felt okay about making some of the content. Even if you accepted money or a game credit or something else, you are not the one who is in trouble," according to the FBI, "Sextortion is a crime because it is illegal and wrong for an adult to ask for, pay for, or demand graphic images from a minor."

If you or someone you know believes that they are a victim of sextortion or financially motivated sextortion, immediately report the activity to law enforcement.

You can report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting tips.fbi.gov.

For more information on sextortion and financial sextortion, visit the FBI’s resources on the threats at: https://www.fbi.gov/sextortion and https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/sextortion/financially-motivated-sextortion.

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