NJ man guilty of having over 80 sexual encounters with a minor

A Mays Landing, Atlantic County man has pleaded guilty to several charges associated with his repeated sexual actions with a minor.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced the guilty plea on Thursday.

The sexual interactions occurred over a more than two year period -- between July 18, 2017 and December 15, 2019 -- when 39-year-old Christian R. Navarette of Mays Landing "committed numerous acts of sexual penetration on the victim", according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, which he admitted in court to doing in his home.

(Photo Courtesy: Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office)

Navarette also admitted to filming each sexual encounter and then storing the videos on his cell phone.

Hamilton Township Police caught wind of what he was doing along with the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency on December 19, 2019 about a sexual assault that occurred involving a juvenile, the ACPO said.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office High Technology Crimes Investigation Unit interviewed the victim and then looked into the contents of his phone and a forensic analysis found Navarette had more than 80 videos where he was engaging in sexual acts with the victim.

(Photo: Vin Ebenau, Townsquare Media NJ)

Navarette was later arrested and charged and on Thursday pleaded guilty to one count of Aggravated Sexual Assault, a crime of the first-degree, one amended count of Sexual Assault, a crime of the second-degree, and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child by Filming a Prohibited Sexual Act, a crime of the first-degree, according to the ACPO.

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"The plea calls for an aggregate sentence of 25 years in New Jersey State Prison with defendant having to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole pursuant to the No Early Release Act. Additionally, Navarette will be subject to Megan’s Law, Parole Supervision for Life, an Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center Sexual Offender Evaluation, and no contact with the victim."

(Getty Images/Thinkstock)

ACPO Prosecutor Reynolds said that ACPO "Chief Assistant Prosecutor Erika Halayko represents the State in this matter and that the sentencing, pending defendant’s evaluation, is scheduled for October 3, 2022 before the Honorable Donna M. Taylor, J.S.C."

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A roundup of 31 men have been accused of sexually exploiting children online, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced on July 14 while detailing "Operation 24/7."

The suspects “possessed and or distributed videos and images of child sexual abuse, including in many cases videos of young children being raped by adults,” Grewal said.

Chat apps and gaming platforms remain favorite hunting grounds for child predators and even as the pandemic winds down, many children have continued to spend more time online.

State Police received 39% more tips in just the first 6 months of 2021 than they received in the entire year in 2019. The following are suspects charged in "Operation 24/7."