Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced felony charges against a New Jersey Sheriff’s deputy for having unlawful sexual contact with a minor in the Lehigh Valley, posting a video of the incident online, and then seeking additional sexual contact from an undercover law enforcement agent who was posing as a 14-year-old minor.
Officials say Joshua Padilla, 33, of Eatontown, NJ, was arrested Friday by detectives with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, assisted by agents with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Authorities charged Padilla - is employed as a Sheriff’s Deputy in Middlesex County, New Jersey - with unlawful contact with a minor, obscene materials and other sexual performances, sexual abuse of minor – manufacturing, disseminating and possessing explicit images of minors and related charges.
Attorney General Shapiro urged anyone with additional information for law enforcement about this case or about Padilla to contact his Predator Section hotline at 1-800-385-1044.
Officials say last month, agents received a tip from the Pennsylvania State Police that an adult man – later identified as Padilla – had unlawful sexual contact with a minor in Northampton County, sometime in April or May, 2018. The victim was first contacted over the Internet by Padilla on a website called adultfriendfinder.com.
According to authorities, the victim was underage during the sexual encounter, and Padilla was aware of her age. Padilla recorded the encounter with his cell phone, and uploaded the video depicting sex acts onto the same website, where it was viewed and shared by other users of the site.
In the course of their investigation, agents contacted the defendant last month, via social media and text messages. An undercover agent told Padilla that he was communicating with a 14-year-old minor.
The defendant said he wanted to meet with the purported minor, used sexually explicit language, sent the agent two pictures of his genitals, and asked for photos of the purported 14-year-old female. Padilla’s text messages indicated he would perform sex acts on her, and he asked for more photos of his purported 14-year-old victim while she was in school.
Officials say Padilla is currently in police custody in New Jersey, awaiting extradition to Northampton County, Pennsylvania – where the charges were filed on Friday.