A Bayonne man who posed as a Navy SEAL to meet girls was convicted of recording the sexual assault of two minors after a three-day trial, Acting U.S Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Gregory Schaffer, 38, was found guilty on all three counts of an indictment charging him with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, authorities said.
He was convicted following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court. The jury deliberated one and a half hours before returning its verdict.
In 2010, Schaffer sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in a tow-truck office in Union City, and video recorded the abuse without her knowledge. He later stored the video recording on a laptop computer found by law enforcement in his office in Jersey City, according to court documents.
Schaffer also backed-up the video recording to another electronic storage device found in his office.
Around the same time, Schaffer also sexually abused a 14-year-old girl in a hotel room and video recorded the abuse without her knowledge. Schaffer again stored the video recording on the same laptop computer and electronic storage device that law enforcement found in his office, officials said.
Law enforcement also found additional sexually explicit videos and images of minors on Schaffer’s laptop computer and electronic storage device, authorities said.
In addition to posing as a Navy SEAL, the investigation revealed that Schaffer pretended to be a talent scout, producer and swim instructor, among other professions, on dating websites and social media, court documents show.
The production of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The possession of child pornography charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
