Middlesex County Man Admits Online Enticement of Minor

NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man today admitted inducing a minor to engage in sexually activity over an online messenger service, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Sunil Vaid, 51, of North Brunswick, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of online enticement of a minor.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From Aug. 3, 2020, to Aug. 6, 2020, Vaid used an online messaging service to communicate with a minor victim, including requesting that the minor victim pose nude so he could take sexually explicit images. Vaid knowingly misrepresented his identity to induce the minor to engage in the sexual activity.

The charge of online enticement carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and members of the FBI Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the North Brunswick Police for their assistance with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea D. Coleman of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.