Thomas W. Phillips, 34, of Morristown, was sentenced today to four years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Robert J. Gilson in Morristown. He was found guilty on June 12, 2014 by a Morris County jury of third-degree charges of attempting to endanger the welfare of a child and attempting to transmit obscene materials to a person under 18 years old. As a result of this conviction, Phillips will be subject to parole supervision for life. Deputy Attorney Generals Lilianne Daniel and Naju Lathia tried the case and handled the sentencing for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.
The state presented testimony and evidence that on Feb. 24, 2010, Phillips exposed his genitals online via a webcam to an undercover detective from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. Phillips lay on his bed completely naked and exposed himself three times to the person he believed was an underage girl during a 17-minute instant message chat. Phillips, who used a screen name incorporating the phrase “bigyouknowwhat,” initiated the online conversation with the detective, who used a screen name containing a girl’s name and “13.” The detective assumed the persona of a girl and informed Phillips “she” was 13. After exposing himself, Phillips apologized, messaging that he knew it was illegal because she was “too young.” Nonetheless, he repeated the conduct, saying in his instant messages that the camera accidentally moved.
When he committed the crime, Phillips was on probation from a prior conviction for a similar incident in 2006 in which he was caught in an online law enforcement sting. Phillips was sentenced in Bergen County on Sept. 21, 2007 to three years of probation on a charge of attempted criminal sexual contact for instructing an undercover police detective who was posing as an underage girl to touch herself sexually. Phillips is a member of the U.S. Merchant Marine.
“Phillips is every parent’s worst nightmare when it comes to protecting children online: a sexual predator who stalks innocent children using the anonymity of the Internet,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “We have put him in prison where he belongs.”
“As this case illustrates, convicted sex offenders are apt to re-offend if they believe they can get away with it,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “But as Phillips learned, we’re working hard with our law enforcement partners to make sure they don’t get away with it.”
“This case should serve as a strong warning to those who believe they can use the cloak of cyberspace to remain undetected while preying on children,” said Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi. “Law enforcement officers are on patrol in your world and are committed to protecting the vulnerable population you seek to exploit for perverted pleasure.”
Detective Sgt. David Kohler of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Detective Edward Mitreuter of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office were the lead detectives. They were assisted by other members of the multi-agency New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Deputy Attorney General Marie McGovern presented the case to the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice. Detective Sgt. Timothy P. Gerity of the Saddle River Police Department provided valuable assistance by testifying about the prior offense committed by Phillips in Bergen County.
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