NEW CITY, NY – A New Jersey man who pleaded guilty to attempting to meet what he believed was a 13-year-old boy for sex has been sentenced to probation, a decision the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office strongly opposed.
Carl Ellis, 55, of Maplewood, New Jersey, received a 10-year probationary sentence from Judge Kevin F. Russo in Rockland County Court on November 19.
District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said prosecutors had recommended a state prison term, calling the outcome disappointing and contrary to the seriousness of the crime.
Key Points
- Carl Ellis, 55, was sentenced to 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to attempted rape and related charges.
- Prosecutors urged a state prison sentence, but the judge imposed probation instead.
- Ellis was arrested in a police sting after arranging to meet an undercover investigator posing as a 13-year-old boy.
Undercover sting led to arrest at Suffern hotel
According to investigators, Ellis exchanged explicit messages between April 6 and April 7 with an undercover New York State Police investigator assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce. The officer had identified themself as a 13-year-old boy.
Police said Ellis arranged to meet the teen at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Suffern and was arrested upon arrival by state police investigators.
Prosecutors objected to lenient sentence
Ellis pleaded guilty to attempted rape in the second degree, attempted disseminating indecent materials to minors in the first degree, and attempted endangering the welfare of a child.
Following his plea, Ellis was required to register as a sex offender.
District Attorney Walsh said the prosecution had recommended state prison time, arguing the case warranted incarceration. “The People recommended a sentence of State Prison, however the Judge imposed a period of probation over our objection,” Walsh said.
The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the FBI, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Town of Ramapo Police Department. Supervising Assistant District Attorney Gerard M. Damiani III prosecuted the case.