Joseph Picchi, 49, of Hammonton, NJ, was charged today by Indictment[1] with one count of enticement of a minor announced United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen. The indictment alleges that on or about July 20-21, 2017, attempted to entice a minor online, who he believed had not attained the age of 18 years, to engage in sexual activity, for which any person could be charged with a criminal offense.
If convicted the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of lifetime imprisonment.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI"), the Borough of Conshohocken Police Department, and the East Norriton Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.
[1]An Indictment or Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
