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John Emilio of Staten Island pleaded guilty on Dec. 23 to attempted endangering the welfare of children in exchange for a three-year sentence in state prison, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
Emilio is scheduled to be sentenced before Superior Court Judge Gerard H. Breland on March 24 in Mount Holly.
Emilio became a suspect in November 2019 during a BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit proactive investigation into the exploitation of children in cyberspace.
During the investigation, Emilio initiated contact and sent nude pictures of his genitals, said he was very excited that he would be having sex with a girl so young, and looked forward to taking her virginity, according to Coffina. In reality, Emilio was communicating with a detective from the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit.
Emilio had discussed coming to Burlington County to have sex with the girl, either at a Route 130 motel or inside of his vehicle, Coffina said, but the trip never materialized.
Emilio was taken into custody in February 2020 after a warranted search of his home.
Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Remy is handling the case.
The investigation was a cooperative effort involving the New York City Police Department Computer Crimes Squad, which is a member of the New York City Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistance was provided by United States Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill Office, the Cinnaminson Township Police Department and the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office in New York.
The lead investigator was BCPO Hi-Tech Crimes Unit Detective Sergeant Dave Kohler.
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