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OCEAN COUNTY – Two local men were sentenced for trying to arrange sex with undercover officers posing as underaged teenagers, police said.
“Operation Open House” arrested 24 men in an undercover operation throughout the state. Now, the sentencing happening.
Volvi Lowinger, 25, of Lakewood, a student who worked at a dry cleaning business, was sentenced on Jan. 24, 2020, to four years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Rochelle Gizinski in Ocean County. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 15, 2019 to a second-degree charge of luring for attempting to arrange sex with an undercover officer he believed was a 15-year-old girl.
Brian Degnan, 34, of Toms River, a data entry clerk, was sentenced on Jan. 29, 2020, to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Therese A. Cunningham in Ocean County. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 4, 2019 to a second-degree charge of luring for attempting to arrange sex with an undercover officer he believed was a 15-year-old boy.
Both men will be required to register as sex offenders under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.
Operation Open House nabbed 24 men who allegedly were using social media to lure underage girls and boys for sexual activity. The operation was led by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which is led by the New Jersey State Police, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. The ICAC Task Force also includes the Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), all 21 County Prosecutors’ Offices, and many other state, county and local law enforcement agencies.
“These prison sentences reflect our commitment to aggressively prosecute child predators,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “In addition to large-scale operations like Open House, we patrol the internet and social media on a daily basis with our federal, state, and local partners to protect children. We urge parents to do their part by talking to their children about social media and the dangers posed by online predators.”
“Sexual predators like Lowinger and Degnan need to know that the children they target on social media may very well be law enforcement officers,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We are working diligently to lock up child predators and those who distribute child pornography online.”
“These defendants attempted to use social media to satisfy their perverse desires. These prison sentences will serve as a reminder to any predators looking to prey upon innocent children that our detectives or the detectives of our partners on the ICAC Task Force may be on the receiving end of their solicitations,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.
Lowinger had been arrested after a detective with the Wall Township police encountered him online. Lowinger believed the detective was a 15-year-old girl, and he sent “her” sexually explicit photos of himself. He was arrested on Sept. 6, 2018 after arriving at an undercover house in Toms River where dozens of law enforcement members were waiting for him.
Degnan had been arrested after a detective of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office encountered him on social media. Degnan believed the detective was a 15-year-old boy, and him to meet for sexual activity. Degnan discussed the sexual acts they would perform when they met. He was arrested on Sept. 6, 2018 during a motor vehicle stop near the undercover house in Toms River, after he drove by the house slowly and sent a text message that there were a lot of police in the area. Degnan had condoms, sexual lubricant, and a sex toy in the car.
In addition to investigating cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, members of the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit, the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau, and the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force routinely conduct undercover chat investigations on social media platforms leading to arrests of hands-on offenders and defendants attempting 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 pornography.
Attorney General Grewal and Director Allende urged anyone with information about the distribution of child pornography on the internet – or about suspected improper contact by unknown persons communicating with children via the internet or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children – to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.
Wait will a Cid from Lakewood actually get busted on something and not get away with it????
Patrick Brennan
They’re sending a pilgrim to the big house, hopefully into gen pop and not the sex offender unit.
Patrick Brennan wait the trial hasn’t happened yet. Lakewood may get away with it.
Patrick Brennan nope the Vaad will step in
Patrick Brennan there are plenty of them in jail. OC jail even does kosher meals now.
I need a vomit emoji
Sheli Helm Disher ????
Mare Mare Facebook reaction. Like a like wow etc
Sick bastards
Death penalty..no appeals
.this stupid state
Disgusting pigs
Yet only 1 will do time can you guess witch 1
The one not wearing a cap☹️
Jeff Parker he will be shipped back to Israel
Or New York and come back with a new name
Here comes the Lakewood defense of it was just a misunderstanding
Thomas Helle “he didn’t know it was illegal” ????
Thomas Helle five dollar fine.
These sentences are BS the guy who tried luring a 15 year old boy got 7 years and these two get 3 and 4 years for sex trafficking…did I miss something?
Wtf??? Second article today in ocean county about sex trafficking!!!
Lisa Marie Viggiano it’s an epidemic. Its unbelievable how many sickos are out there.
????????????
Dirty PoS
And ones a Good Jew!!! LOL
Teresa Jasinski and there’s numerous ones that aren’t…what’s the point?
Lakewood scoop and Jackson strong won’t be sharing this????
Tina Kowaleski Make it happens
Let the prisoners take the trash out. General pop for these scumbags. ????????????
Paul Cobra yes!!!! Perfect comment!!!
One word….Scurge!
That’s making me SICK!!!! ????????????
Jessie Marie Zunk more arrests locally
Karen Brazdovic fucking scum fucks wtf where’s my crowbar!?
Jessie Marie Zunk i know it makes me so sick
Scum. Should be locked up for life….
Pure dirt bags…
I keep saying we need a real deterrent to crime… Castration and public executions should do it.
Michele Viventi all in favor…????????♀️
Pigs
Just shoot the bastards
They will get what they deserve in prison!!
Hopefully these scumbags will be taken care of in lockup.
Scum bags
Jessie Dai
Shannon Cox omfgggg
Let the people take care of them.Lakewood is full of Pervs
The dude on the right “Degnan had condoms, sexual lubricant, and a sex toy in the car” def doesnt sound like his first rodeo meeting up with an underage boy. I vote death
Of course they are so sexually repressed that the deviant behaviors run rampant in their community and the so called religious gods people are either attempting ro get sex from hookers or they are ripping off the system w tales of being these sad broke religioys students and the WOMEN …u know 6 kids …not married ( wink wink) and collect sec 8 …food stamps and medicade breaking the system and have the arrogance to act like they dont know why 99.99999% of the pooulation despise this behavior…..and u say ONE word u are ” anti sametic” and they wanna call out for people to be fired …or disgraced ..maybe its time the tax payers of ocean co stand up and make our law makers hold them accountable and treat them like they do to other law breakwrs…..3 yrs for attempting to violate our youth???? And we all know this behavior cannot be altered they jyst continue to try and have sex with children ….hell most of their non wives ..u know the ones that thet knock up at 16 and dont stop till they have 6 ..7…8 ..kids and AREN’T married to ate not more than children when they are pushed into these non marriages ..cause they cant impregnated them till they claim them as a non wife …..then the welfare fraud begins!!!!!
Good! Disgusting!! Keep them locked away!
SCUM BAGS!!
Dirty lakewood
Pieces of shit
Lock them up throw away the keys
Stop being Antisemitic. It was a misunderstanding
May they rot in hell after their jail sentence
Good ole Lakewood Cowboy’s……
Disgusting
Stephanie Christiano Angelo Christiano
Only 4 years and the state ag is happy with that sad
Let’s see how fair this turns out?
Sorry folks, nothing against the Jewish Faith but Lakewood, NJ is a cesspool of Corruption & the Jews living there are the center of it all.
Scum bags. Go rot
The Purv on the right looks like he is one of the MEN In BLACK of Lakewood! Go Figure.
Sick mother foos