Philadelphia Man Charged with Enticing Minor

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, man has been charged with using an internet-based chat application to entice a minor to engage in prostitution, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Louis Goldenberg, 41, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is charged by complaint with one count of attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution. Goldenberg made his initial appearance on Sept. 19, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon A. King in Camden federal court and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.

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

In August 2023, Goldenberg began interacting on a messaging application with an undercover agent, who was posing as a middle-aged woman with a 12-year-old niece. From August through September 2023, Goldenberg messaged the undercover agent, continuously expressing interest in having sexual contact with the minor. During one of the conversations, Goldenberg indicated a specific hotel in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, where he wanted to have sex with the minor. On Sept. 18, 2023, Goldenberg traveled from Pennsylvania to the Mt. Laurel hotel, where he had a reservation for that evening. When Goldenberg arrived, he was arrested.

The count of enticement carries a mandatory minimum term of incarceration of 10 years in prison, a potential maximum term of life in prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and task force officer of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Kurtz, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Mount Laurel Police Department.

The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Waegener of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.