North jersey man attempted to lure boy for sex, gets three years in prison — Court, Judge Gavel, Big Stock Photos

TRENTON – Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck announced the sentencing of a New Jersey man to state prison today for attempting to lure an underage boy he met on social media to meet for a sexual encounter. The “underage boy” in reality was an undercover detective participating in “Operation Open House,” a multi-agency undercover operation in September 2018 led by the Attorney General’s Office that resulted in arrests of 24 men who allegedly were using social media to lure underage girls and boys for sexual activity.

Robert Lisicki, 51, of Metuchen, N.J., was sentenced today to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Michael T. Collins in Ocean County. Lisicki pleaded guilty to second-degree luring on July 1, 2021. Lisicki will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Rastelli prosecuted Lisicki for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau.

Lisicki was arrested in September 2018 during Operation Open House. In this case, an undercover detective with the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force encountered the defendant on social media, and the defendant, believing the undercover detective was a 15-year-old boy, asked the “boy” to meet him for sexual activity. Lisicki discussed the sexual acts he would perform with the underage boy. Lisicki was arrested on September 8, 2018 at a location in Toms River, N.J. where the two agreed to meet. Officers participating in Operation Open House were prepared to arrest Lisicki and process any evidence seized.

“The message from today’s sentence is clear: if you prey on children, you will go to prison,” said Acting Attorney General Bruck. “We will continue doing everything we can to keep the children of New Jersey safe.”

“The safety of our children is of great concern to New Jersey’s Law Enforcement Community and Operation Open House is a great example of our collaborative efforts to protect children from sex offenders who exploit the anonymity of the internet,” said Director Lyndsay V. Ruotolo of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We urge parents and guardians to remember that social media creates potential opportunities for those who prey on children, and to remain vigilant regarding their children’s online activities, just as law enforcement is remaining vigilant with our proactive investigations.”

In addition to investigating cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, members of the New Jersey State Police ICAC Unit, the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau, and the New Jersey ICAC Task Force routinely conduct undercover chat investigations on social media platforms leading to arrests of hands-on offenders and defendants seeking to lure children. They also conduct proactive investigations to apprehend offenders by monitoring peer-to-peer file-sharing networks and identifying the IP addresses of individuals sharing child sexual abuse material.

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