BOSTON – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester in connection with attempting to produce child pornography.
Jordan Winczuk, 36, of Bellmawr, N.J., pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of commission a felony offense involving the sexual exploitation of minor as a registered sex offender. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Feb. 18, 2022. Winczuk was indicted in April 2019.
In January 2018, Winczuk, a Level 3 sex offender, contacted a Worcester boy through social media. Over a period of weeks, Winczuk attempted to convince the victim, who had disclosed that he was only 11 years old, to photograph his genitals and send those pictures to Winczuk via Instagram. During his contact with the victim, Winczuk posed as a teenage girl, the brother of the purported teenage girl and a first responder. In February 2018, a search of Winczuk’s New Jersey residence recovered cell phones that contained child pornography and included multiple conversations in which he requested sexually explicit images from other apparent minors. At the time, Winczuk was on parole following a state conviction in New Jersey for sexually assaulting a boy and endangering the welfare of a child through the distribution of child pornography.
The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. At sentencing, the court could find that Winczuk’s prior convictions subject him to a mandatory minimum of 35 years and up to life in prison for this charge. The charge of committing felony offense involving the sexual exploitation of minor as a registered sex offender provides for an additional sentence of 10 years in prison, to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey State Parole Board. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen M. Noto and Danial Bennett of Mendell’s Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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