Florida Man Charged with Child Sex Offenses in New Jersey

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Florida man was arrested today and charged with seeking sex with a minor and inducing her to send him sexual explicit images, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.

Andrew Drechsel, 31, of Saint Cloud, Florida, is charged by complaint with manufacture of child pornography, enticement of a minor to travel for illicit sexual conduct, travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and use of interstate commerce to entice a minor. He made his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, prior to his transfer to the District of New Jersey.

According to the complaint:

Drechsel sought to have sex with a minor girl and traveled to New Jersey with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with that minor. He also enticed and coerced a minor to travel to Connecticut to engage in illicit sexual conduct and engaged in online sexual communications with a minor and induced her to manufacture sexually explicit images of herself and send them to Drechsel. 

The count of use of interstate commerce to entice carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; the count of enticement to travel for illicit sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; the count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and the count of manufacture of child pornography carries a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison. All of the counts also carry a maximum fine of $250,000 per count.

This case was investigated by agents with the FBI South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Driscoll in Philadelphia; with assistance from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer; the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Scott A. Coffina; the Cherry Hill Police Department under the direction of Chief William P. Monaghan; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, under the direction of U.S. Attorney John H. Durham; agents of the FBI New Haven Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David Sundberg; the Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut, state’s attorney’s offices; the Windsor, Connecticut, Police Department under the direction of Chief Donald Melanson; and the Hamden, Connecticut, Police Department under the direction of Chief John F. Cappiello; and agents of the FBI Tampa, Orlando Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael F. McPherson.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisa Shver of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

If you have information regarding the pending prosecution, or you believe you or someone you know may have been victimized by the defendant, the FBI requests that you contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI or report it at tips.fbi.gov.  Identified victims may be eligible for certain services and rights under federal and/or state law.

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