A Jamaica man was arrested for trying to lure a 14-year-old girl into having sex with him and sending sexually explicit content through a messaging app, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Robert Wood, 33, was arraigned on May 10 on charges of attempted use of a child in sexual performance, first-degree attempted dissemination of indecent material to minors and attempted endangering the welfare of a child. Bail was set at $25,000 and Wood was ordered to return to court on May 28.
If convicted, Wood faces up to seven years in prison.
“For many the internet is a great learning tool with access to a plethora of valuable information. But for some, unfortunately, it is a place to troll for children to satisfy their demented sexual fantasies,” said acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “The defendant in this case got caught reaching out to a 14-year-old youngster, who just happened to be a police officer on assignment. Despite being told the “girl” was just 14, the defendant is alleged to have repeatedly chatted about sex, sent explicit photos and pushed to meet the girl for sex. The defendant now faces prison time for his alleged actions.”
According to charges, at 7 p.m. on April 8, an NYPD detective was posing as a 14-year-old girl when he allegedly received an introductory instant message from Wood, who was using the screen name Tjtj201 on the Kik app. After the first message, Wood allegedly continued his chat by sending a series of sexually-explicit messages along with pictures to the underage “girl.”
Charges say that on April 15, Wood allegedly followed up by sending explicit photos of a penis on the Kik app, including a photo with a penis positioned next to a bottle of lotion, and asked the “girl” to video chat with him. During the course of that conversation, the detective pretending to be the girl told the Wood that she was just 14, and Wood allegedly responded by reassuring her that he was not a cop and that he had no problem with her age.
The criminal complaint states that Wood allegedly asked the “teen” for a picture of her exposed breasts so he could look at them while he masturbated. The following day, Wood allegedly made contact again several more times in the hopes of arranging a face-to-face meeting. An undercover female officer posed as a 14-year-old girl and video chatted with Wood, where Wood allegedly asked again to meet with the girl face-to-face, to see her breasts and offered to come to the girl’s home.
Charges go on to say that on April 22, law enforcement officials got a subpoena for Wood’s Kik account and allegedly verified Wood’s IP address was connected to the Kik account and the chats with the underage “teen,” which ultimately led to Wood’s arrest.
A court ordered search warrant was executed on Wood’s residence and detectives are seeking any other potential victims. If you or someone you know has been in contact with Tjtj201 on the Kik app, please call Detective Philip Adazzewski at 646-872-7609.
