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Frederick Scheinin, 29, of Sunnyside, Queens, was arrested and charged with one count of attempted production of child pornography, and one count of attempted enticement of a minor after attempting to lure his alleged victim with child porn.
It is alleged that between October last year and January, Scheinin attempted to produce child pornography and entice a minor to have sex. Scheinin was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 16 and was scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Friday, Jan. 17.
According to U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, Scheinin used multimedia messaging apps on his cellphone to communicate with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old boy.
During the communications, Scheinin allegedly repeatedly sent sexually explicit images and videos to the officer in an attempt to persuade him to transmit sexually explicit images, photos, and live visual depictions of his penis to Scheinin.
Berman said that Scheinin repeatedly asked the undercover agent to share images and videos of his penis. The complaint further alleges that Scheinin attempted to arrange a meeting with the undercover officer posing as a teen, at which Scheinin planned to have sex with his purported victim.
At the time of his arrest, Scheinin was in possession of condoms and lubricant. his arrest.
“As a diversion investigator at the DEA, Frederick Scheinin’s foremost responsibility was to protect the public from illegally diverted drugs,” Berman said. “Instead of fulfilling this worthy mission, Scheinin allegedly spent months attempting to prey on a 14-year-old boy. This arrest exemplifies that no one is above the law. Our law enforcement partners will continue to bring all necessary tools to bear to apprehend individuals who wish to do harm to young children, no matter who they are.”
If convicted, Scheinin will face decades in prison on both counts.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea added, “I want to commend the U.S. Attorney and our federal partners who, together with our NYPD investigators, work every day to protect the innocent against such alleged reprehensible predators. I am proud of the undercover work in this case, which has now led to criminal charges against a law enforcement officer who allegedly betrayed his sacred oath.”
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