A German national has been sentenced to 240 months in prison for traveling to New Jersey with the intent of engaging in sexual conduct with a minor. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced the sentencing.
Christian Stefan Walther, aged 40, from Erfurt, Germany, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. He was charged with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The investigation into Walther began around January 2023 due to child exploitation offenses. Two undercover officers communicated with him through email, phone, and an encrypted messaging app regarding his desire for sexual encounters with young children. Walther sent videos depicting an adult male engaging in sexual conduct with a prepubescent female child and expressed his interest in children aged 8 to 12. He detailed the acts he intended to commit and admitted lying about his trip's purpose to friends in Germany.
On March 23, 2023, Walther traveled from Germany to New Jersey expecting a meeting at a hotel arranged by undercover officers posing as facilitators for such encounters. Upon arrest, he confessed his intentions were to have sex with children under 12.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), led by Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas in Newark, for their work on the case. He also acknowledged assistance from officers of the New Jersey State Police under Col. Patrick J. Callahan's leadership.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division represented the government.