TOMS RIVER, NJ – Joshua A. Rauter, 33, of Little Egg Harbor is now in Ocean County Jail after being sentenced to three years in prison for luring young children. He will soon be transferred to state prison. Rauter will be subjected to Megan’s Law registration and will face life on parole after serving his sentence.
In 2018, Rauter was one of 24 men arrested in “Operation Open House” where online pedophiles and perverts using social media chatted with undercover agents to arrange to have sex with underage children.
“Operation Open House,” was a multi-agency undercover operation targeting men who allegedly were using social media in an attempt to lure underage girls and boys for sexual activity.
The underage “children” were, in fact, undercover officers. Most of the defendants were arrested when they arrived at a house in Toms River, N.J., where they allegedly expected to find their victim home alone. Instead, they found dozens of law enforcement officers prepared to arrest them and process any evidence seized. Those arrested included a Howell Township, N.J., police sergeant, Richard Conte, 47, who allegedly attempted to meet a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl for sex. He allegedly claimed in online chats that he was 19, and he had condoms in his pocket when he was arrested.
“It is a frightening reality that sexual predators are lurking on social media, ready to strike if they find a child who is vulnerable,” said Attorney General Grewal. “To counter that threat, we are working collaboratively and aggressively across all levels of law enforcement to apprehend these sex offenders. We want child predators to know that we are on social media too – and the child they target may be the undercover officer who puts them in handcuffs. That is the message of Operation Open House.”
Below is a list of suspects arrested during Operation Open House.
Christopher Vargas, 29, of Toms River
Joshua Rauter, 31, of Little Egg Harbor Township
Joseph Martin, 35, of Seaside Heights
Richard Hoffman, 23, of Mays Landing
Volvi Lowinger, 23, of Lakewood
Thomas Graciano, 28, of Brick
Thomas Blumensteel, 47, of Manchester
Richard Conte, 47, of Farmingdale
Thomas Fuller, 44, Toms River
Zachary Vincent, 24, of Forked River
William Singleton, 24, of Pemberton Township
Jonathan Vece, 22, of Turnersville
Lawrence Ivancic, 51, of Toms River
Robert Lisicki, 51, of Metuchen
Dylan Daffron, 28, of Lacey Township
Steven Portnoy, 27, of Egg Harbor Township
David Studnicky, 64, of Toms River
Anthony Perfidio, 24, of Barnegat
Brian Degnan, 33, of Toms River
Nabindranauth Nandalall, 24, of Bronx, N.Y.
William D. Davis, 23, Bayville
Charles Schlottfeld, 26, of Bayville
Douglass Walton, 54, of Hillsborough