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Dariush Ghamarnezhad, 42, of Pomona was among 16 men from Bergen, Passaic, Rockland and Westchester counties who were busted by authorities during a five-day 2019 sting operation dubbed “Operation Home Alone."
Various law enforcement agencies united to nab men who they said tried to lure youngsters into sex through social media.
Just about all of them were arrested when they showed up at a residence in Bergen County expecting to find a child home alone, authorities said.
Some came from as far as New York State and Philadelphia. They included a local Bergen County police officer, a high school teacher, a ride-share driver, a barbershop owner, a bank manager and a traveling minister.
Among those nabbed was Ghamarnezhad, who that same day reportedly engaged an undercover detective posing as a child named Taylor on SKOUT, a social networking and dating app and website.
Ghamarnezhad claimed to be a 22-year-old man "looking for rough sex," alleges the complaint filed in Superior Court in Hackensack.
Told that his prey was only 14 years old, it says, Ghamarnezhad told the purported youngster: "You are too young for chat."
He then moved the conversation to text messages, according to the complaint prepared by State Police Detective Shawn Gorlin.
Wasting no time, Ghamarnezhad said he was looking for sex and asked for photos, wrote Gorlin, who's a member of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
Ghamarnezhad talked about licking the child's body and having her service him, then arranged to meet the child in Bergen County, the detective added.
Investigators arrested Ghamarnezhad when he showed up, Gorlin said.
Ghamarnezhad later took an extremely favorable deal from prosecutors rather than risk the potential outcome of a jury trial.
He was sentenced earlier this month to three years in state prison in exchange for his guilty plea to luring/enticing a child.
It might surprise some to learn that Ghamarnezhad could serve less than a third of that.
A judge in 2019 had released Ghamarnezhad pending the outcome of the case. He remained free until sentencing.
Once the sentencing hearing in Superior Court in Hackensack was completed, Bergen County sheriff's officers took Ghamarnezhad to the county jail to await assignment to a state prison.
Ghamarnezhad will be eligible for parole in June 2024.
If released then, he will have served only 9½ months of the three-year sentence.
Even if he's denied parole next June -- and doesn't get into any trouble in prison -- Ghamarnezhad must be released by Dec. 23, 2025 under the terms of his deal, state records show.
Authorities, meanwhile, said they hope initiatives such as "Operation Home Alone" catch parents' attention.
“We need parents and guardians to remain vigilant and keep the lines of communication open with your children,” New Jersey State Police Supt. Col. Patrick Callahan said.
“Familiarize yourselves with the social media sites and gaming platforms that they are using to help protect them from those who would seek to victimize them," the superintendent said.
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