NEWARK, N.J. – A German man today admitted traveling from Germany to New Jersey in order to engage in illicit sex acts with a minor, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Christian Stefan Walther, 39, of Erfurt, Germany, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Law enforcement authorities have been investigating Walther since January 2023 for child exploitation offenses. Two undercover officers communicated with Walther via email, phone, and an encrypted messaging app concerning Walther’s desire for sexual encounters with young children. During the investigation Walther sent an undercover officer two videos, each of which depicted children being sexually abused. Walther also expressed his desire to engage in sexual conduct with children aged 8 to 12. On March 23, 2023, Walther traveled from Germany to New Jersey to meet the undercover officers in advance of what he believed would be a sexual encounter with one or more children at a hotel.
The charge of interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct carries a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked the New Jersey State Police, under the leadership of Col. Patrick J. Callahan, for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.