An Ocean County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for coercing a minor into producing images of child sexual abuse.
Samuel Schwinger, 38, Lakewood, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Georgette Castner to an information charging him with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Judge Castner imposed the sentence in Trenton federal court on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.
According to , U.S Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Schwinger used an internet-based application to communicate with the victim, who was under the age of 12 in March 2019.
Schwinger asked the victim to make sexually explicit videos of the victim and send them to him.
Schwinger admitted that from October 2018 through April 5, 2019, he communicated with more than 25 minor victims for the purpose of producing and distributing sexually explicit material.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Castner sentenced Schwinger to 10 years of supervised release and ordered that he register as a sexual offender upon release.
U.S. Sellinger credited special agents Homeland Security Investigations, Cherry Hill, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso in Newark; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer; and the Lakewood New Jersey Police Department under the direction of Chief Gregory Meyer.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Gasparian, Chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit.