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Union Beach man, 68, posed as teen in Facebook child porn case, feds say

Asbury Park Press - 4/14/2021

A 68-year-old Union Beach man posed as a teenager on Facebook to entice a girl to send him sexual images, federal authorities said.

The girl eventually moved in with the man after he told her he was not 17, but local authorities removed her from the home, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark said in a release.

Herman Christopher Jensen, 68, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan, sitting in Trenton, to one count of knowingly receiving child pornography.

The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

To learn about child pornography charges, scroll to the video above

The FBI investigated Jensen for posing as a 17-year-old boy named Kevin Bennett on Facebook to solicit the underage girl to send nude and sexual images through Facebook Messenger, according to the release. From January to August 2018, Jensen messaged the victim, who thought she was in a romantic relationship with a teen.

The girl sent Jensen nude and partially nude pictures and sexually explicit videos, the release said.

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In August 2018, Jensen told the victim he was not Kevin Bennett but an adult named Chris Jensen, communicating with her through a Facebook account under that name.

She moved in with Jensen that December and lived there until local authorities removed her from the home on Dec. 19, 2018.

It is unclear why federal authorities took more than two years to charge Jensen.

Jensen is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 14.

Ken Serrano has covered crime, breaking news, investigations and local issues in New Jersey for more than 20 years. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or kserrano@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Union Beach man, 68, posed as teen in Facebook child porn case, feds say

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