TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a New Jersey man was sentenced to state prison today for soliciting an underage Canadian girl to send him sexually explicit images of herself. The defendant had engaged in sexually explicit chats with multiple underage victims.

Shawn Patrick Rose, Jr., 22, of Woodbine, N.J., was sentenced to five years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Levin in Cape May County. Rose pleaded guilty on Oct. 31, 2019 to charges of second-degree manufacturing of child pornography and third-degree impairing or debauching the morals of a child in connection with the Canadian victim. 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 Lisa Rastelli prosecuted Rose and handled the sentencing for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau.

The investigation began when the Division of Criminal Justice received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which had received a referral from an online file hosting service about an account holder who was uploading child pornography. Detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice reviewed videos uploaded by the account holder and confirmed they were child pornography.

Through further investigation, detectives linked the account to email and IP addresses traced to Rose and his residence. In addition, detectives obtained records associated with the email account and a social media site revealing that Rose engaged in sexually explicit chats with underage girls, including a girl, 14, in South Carolina. The investigation revealed that he obtained sexually explicit images of that girl. Detectives contacted the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and First Circuit Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina, who charged Rose with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Rose was arrested in New Jersey on May 11, 2017, when detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice executed a search warrant at his home with assistance from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office. Detectives found numerous files of child pornography on Rose’s computers and cell phone. A full forensic examination of his cell phone revealed sexually explicit images of the 14-year-old victim in Canada, with whom Rose had engaged in sexual chats on social media and exchanged explicit images. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police assisted the Division of Criminal Justice in the investigation.

“Through this interstate and international investigation, we uncovered an online child predator who, in addition to uploading child pornography, was sexually exploiting underage girls he met on social media,” said Attorney General Grewal. “This case is a cautionary tale for parents, who need to speak to their children about predators like Rose who use social media and chat apps to manipulate victims.”

“Online predators like Rose do not confine their criminal conduct to one state or even one country, and we are grateful to our law enforcement partners in Canada and South Carolina, who helped us ensure that Rose faced justice,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We will continue to conduct these collaborative and proactive investigations targeting online predators, because we have no higher priority than protecting children.”

Rose previously pleaded guilty in South Carolina to the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He served 700 days in jail in South Carolina following his arrest in New Jersey.

Former Deputy Attorney General Joseph Remy presented the indictment to the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Cyber Crimes Bureau. Detectives Charles Pusloski and Scott Donlan were the lead detectives for the Division of Criminal Justice. They conducted the investigation under the supervision of Lt. Jon Powers, former Deputy Bureau Chief Julia Glass and former Bureau Chief Michael Monahan. Attorney General Grewal thanked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office and Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for their valuable cooperation. He also thanked the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office for its assistance.

Attorney General Grewal and Director Allende urged anyone who suspects improper contact by persons communicating with children online or possible exploitation or sexual abuse of children to contact the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Tipline at 888-648-6007.