A man from Hudson County, New Jersey, has been charged with enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct. Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced the charges against Ryan Niksa, 34, of Jersey City. Niksa appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court on January 29, 2025, and was ordered detained.
Court documents reveal that since around August 2024, Niksa communicated with a minor victim in another state via social media and text messages. They exchanged sexually explicit photos and videos. Niksa allegedly expressed his desire to live with the minor victim and discussed plans to travel to her home state or run away to another country to evade law enforcement.
The charge of enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years in prison and can result in life imprisonment along with a $250,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited the investigation leading to these charges to special agents of the FBI under Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, the Jersey City Police Department led by Director James Shea, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office directed by Prosecutor Esther Suarez.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Thompson from the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark is representing the government.
It is important to note that "the charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."
Defense counsel for Ryan Niksa is Shaiba Rather, Assistant Federal Public Defender.
