NJAG: 31 Alleged Sex Offenders Arrested, 16 from South Jersey

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal says 31 men have been arrested and charged with sexually exploiting children online.

The arrests were a part of "Operation 24/7," which was started to address a spike in reports of threats to children from online predators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grewal says two men are charged with sexually assaulting or attempting to sexually assault children; two others are charged with manufacturing or attempting to manufacture child sexual abuse materials by extorting or soliciting sexually explicit images of children that they encountered on gaming or social media apps. The remaining 27 are charged with possession and/or distribution of child sexual abuse materials, including, in many cases, child rape videos.

Authorities say the arrests happened between April 1st and June 30th of this year. The suspects range in age from 18 to 65. Among those arrested were a retired corrections officer, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, a skating rink employee, a train operator for New Jersey Transit, and a U.S. Postal Service carrier.

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One man, Peter Eskow, according to authorities, "...allegedly possessed more than 80,000 files of child sexual abuse material on an external hard drive."

Out of the 31, 16 are from the southern counties in the state. Those arrested and charged are:

• Keith Rodenbach, 55, of Mays Landing - Arrested May 26. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Ryan Olson, 20, of Williamstown - Arrested June 29. Manufacturing Child Sexual Abuse Material (1st degree), Sharing Obscene Material with Minor (3rd degree), Impairing or Debauching the Morals of a Child (3rd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Phong Nguyen, 44, of Pennsauken - Arrested April 14. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Gordon Strater, 55, of Blackwood - Arrested May 12. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Hau Tran, 47, of Pennsauken - Arrested May 21. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• James Camille, 65, of Cherry Hill - Arrested June 30. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Eugenio Dalessandro, 52, of Woolwich - Arrested May 11. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Edward Robles, 34, of Sewell - Arrested May 3. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Jonathan Dunston, 53, of Pemberton - Arrested June 4. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Eugene Kim, 20, of Evesham - Arrested April 16. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Matthew Porch, 19, of Cherry Hill - Arrested April 23. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Sean McMichael, 38, of Cherry Hill - Arrested May 21. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Joshua Hunt, 28, of Paulsboro - Arrested April 30. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Brian Lusardi, 48, of Glendora - Arrested April 15. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Joshua Gamboa, 20, of Bellmawr - Arrested April 20. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Justin Holtz, 20, of Southampton - Arrested June 4. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).

Those arrested in or from other parts of the state include the following:

• Ndachi Ndungu, 25, of Jersey City - Arrested May 28. Attempted Manufacturing Child Pornography (2nd degree), Attempted Theft by Extortion (2nd degree).
• Robert Reinhart, 52, of Telford, PA - Arrested April 1. Luring (2nd degree), Attempted Sexual Assault (2nd degree), Attempted Human Trafficking (2nd degree).
• Samuel Santiago, 54, of Carteret - Arrested June 30. Impairing or Debauching the Morals of a Child (3rd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree), Criminal Sexual Contact (4th degree).
• Peter Eskow, 45, of Perth Amboy - Arrested June 24. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree, over 1,000 items). Eskow allegedly possessed more than 80,000 files of child sexual abuse material on an external hard drive.
• George Oakes, 57, of Belvidere - Arrested April 14. Manufacturing Child Sexual Abuse Material (1st degree—allegedly took photos with cell phone of child sexual abuse material on his computer), Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3st degree).
• Johnathan Valencia, 36, of Wayne - Arrested May 4. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Fabian Cervantes, 18, of West Orange - Arrested May 19. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Ryan Becker, 32, of South Amboy - Arrested June 30. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree), Tampering with Evidence (4th degree).
• Derrick J. Anannab, 39, of Holmdel - Arrested June 17. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Luis Torres-Mendieta, 31, of Neptune City - Arrested May 27. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Carl Aliwalas, 29, of Neptune Township - Arrested May 14. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• John Coluzzi, 22, of Manalapan - Arrested May 5. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Adam Cohen, 45, of Oxford - Arrested on June 30. Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree), Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).
• Garrett Flynn, 22, of Washington Borough (Warren County) - Arrested June 23. Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (2nd degree, over 1,000 items).
• Franco Grasparil, 21, of Sayreville - Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (3rd degree).

First-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges could bring a three of five year sentence and a fine of up to $15,000. Fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

As a reminder, charges brought against the defendants are accusations and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.