Concord Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offenses

CONCORD – A Concord man pleaded guilty in federal court in connection to the exploitation of a minor in New Jersey and possession of child sexual abuse material in Concord, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young and U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announce. 

Scott Wilkinson, age 38, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material.  U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for January 22, 2024.  Wilkinson was charged by complaint on November 14, 2022, and indicted December 5, 2022. 

Wilkinson traveled from New Hampshire to New Jersey in April 2022, where he engaged in sexual acts with a 12-year-old child.  Wilkinson had been corresponding with the child online for approximately one year prior to traveling to New Jersey to meet the child.  A video that Wilkinson created of himself engaged in sexual acts with the child was found on his cell phone in Concord, as were other images and videos of child sexual abuse material. 

 Wilkinson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, up to lifetime supervised release, a fine of $250,000 and mandatory restitution.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.   

 The Egg Harbor Township Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Concord Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland from the District of New Hampshire and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Harteis from the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.   

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. 

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