New Jersey teacher charged with enticing a minor

NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey high school teacher was charged Tuesday with soliciting a minor victim online to produce sexually explicit images in exchange for money.

This indictment resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Branchburg (New Jersey) Police Department; and the Somerset County (New Jersey) Prosecutor’s Office.

David N. Adams, 29, of Branchburg, New Jersey, was charged with one count of online enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.  Following his court appearance he was detained pending a bail hearing.

According to court records, from June 2014 through September 2014, Adams taught at Eisenhower Middle School in Roxbury, New Jersey. During this time, he allegedly communicated with a 13-year-old victim who lived in another state. Adams met the victim through an online gaming community and they communicated through text and video chats.

Adams allegedly offered to send money to the child in exchange for sexually explicit images and live video chat sessions, during which the victim was to engage in sexually explicit conduct while Adams watched and directed the victim’s actions. The victim did, in fact, send sexually explicit images to Adams and engaged in sexually explicit conduct in live video chat sessions.

Adams is currently a teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

If convicted Adams faces a mandatory penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The charges in this indictment are merely allegations of criminal activity. All defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.