The Bayonne Police Department aided a multi-agency probe where a California man tried to sexually assault an 11-year-old girl in Union County, who has since now been sentenced to seven years in state prison, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Ian Brewer, 25, of Pomona, California, communicated online with a man he believed was offering him an opportunity to sexually assault a girl, 11, but that man was really an undercover detective of the New Jersey State Police, Grewal said in a statement.
Union County Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield sentenced him to seven years in state prison earlier today.
On August 27th, Brewer pleaded to an accusation charging him with second-degree attempted aggravated sexual assault. As a result, he will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.
Deputy Attorney General Jamie Picard prosecuted Brewer and represented the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau at the sentencing hearing.
Brewer was arrested in an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, assisted by the Bayonne Police Department.
Brewer began exchanging emails in December 2019 with the undercover detective. The undercover detective said that for a fee, Brewer could sexually assault the 11-year-old daughter of his girlfriend.
The detective represented that he and his girlfriend were part of a group that met regularly to sexually assault the child. Brewer agreed to pay a fee of $500 for the weekend to have the girl perform oral sex on him.
He was arrested on January 17th, 2020 after flying to New Jersey and checking into a hotel room. He was arrested at a restaurant in Elizabeth, where he went to meet the man and his girlfriend. Brewer had $701 cash in his possession, and numerous condoms were found in his hotel room.
“Through these collaborative operations involving the ICAC Task Force, we are working ceaselessly to arrest child predators like Brewer before they can sexually assault young victims,” Grewal stated.
“At the same time, we urge parents, guardians and teachers to warn children about the threats that exist on social media and gaming sites and watch for signs that a child has been subjected to online abuse. Online threats to children have increased as much as 50 percent in New Jersey since the start of the COVID pandemic, as gauged by tips to law enforcement, and the need for vigilance has grown this fall as children log more hours of screen time for virtual learning.”
Grewal thanked all of those who investigated and prosecuted the case for the New Jersey State Police, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Bayonne Police Department, and the Division of Criminal Justice.
Deputy Attorney General Picard prosecuted the case under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jillian Carpenter and Deputy Bureau Chief Lilianne Daniel of the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau.
Anyone with information about the distribution of child sexual abuse materials 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 – is urged to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.
