54°
Christian Stefan Walther, 39, of Erfurt, communicated with what turned out to be two undercover New Jersey State Police detectives via email, phone, and an encrypted messaging app, authorities said.
The officers had posed as members of a group of predators who had access to young children, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
Walther, who called himself a "perv to some extent," expressed a "desire to engage in sexual conduct with children aged 8 to 12," Sellinger said.
He even sent one of the officers a pair of videos showing an adult male sexually assaulting a prepubescent girl, the U.S. attorney said.
"I am a huge fan of oral sex -- the deeper the better," Walther wrote, according to a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark, "and you already know that I want to go b**** deep in their throats and f*** them, probably with force."
Walther said he was ready to "fly over for a really good fun time,” says the complaint filed by Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Newark.
"He also said he 'love[d] the fact you only have girls and that you meet in groups and you all get to play with the littles'," it says. " 'If I was in your shoes, I would do them daily'."
Walther traveled from Germany to New Jersey on March 23 of this year for what he believed would be sex with one or more children at a hotel, Sellinger said.
He was met by the undercover agents who took him into custody.
Walther took a deal from the government rather than risk several decades in prison had he been convicted by a jury.
He pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark on Tuesday, Nov. 28, to traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo scheduled sentencing for April 10, 2024. Walther will have to serve out whatever time he's given because there's no parole in the federal prison system. He faces a maximum of 30 years behind bars and a $250,000 fine, although it's likely to be more than somewhat less in both instances.
Sellinger credited special agents of HSI Newark for the investigation leading to the plea, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of his Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark. He also thanked New Jersey State Police for their assistance.
“Predators like Christian Walther who plan to victimize our children will face justice for their unfathomable acts,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso. “Thanks to our partnership with New Jersey State Police, [we were] able to intercept this predator in his travels and stop another child from being abused.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Highlands and receive free news updates.
