New Jersey Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Traveling to Meet a Child for Sex and for Distributing Obscene Material to a Minor

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Recep Sandikci, age 46, of North Plainfield, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 71 months in prison for attempting to meet an Albany-area 13-year-old girl for sex, as well as for sending her obscene material. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Sandikci admitted to driving from New Jersey to New York on August 6, 2019, in order to meet and have sex with the 13-year old. During communications between Sandikci and the girl over a cellphone application in the days leading up to the arrest, Sandikci sent the girl sexually explicit images. Sandikci was arrested in an Albany County parking lot where he believed he was about to meet the girl.

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release, which will commence after Sandikci is released from prison. Sandikci is also required to pay a $5,000 special assessment fee, and he will be required to register as a sex offender following his release from prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the New York State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily C. Powers.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.