Toms River Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting Baby Boy

A Toms River man faces up to 30 years in prison after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-month-old boy.

Rodford W. Brindley, 67, was scheduled to appear before Judge Lois Goodman in federal court today to answer a charge of sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in a release.

In the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, a special agent with the FBI attests that Brindley assaulted the boy and streamed footage of the alleged attack over the Internet while believing he was speaking to a woman in Ohio who was in fact an undercover detective with the Westerville Police Department.

The undercover detective had made contact with Brindley, using the screen name tarena16, on a website "known to be frequented by individuals interested in child pornography," the FBI agent said. The detective, posing as a single mother, chatted online with Brindley on April 2 when he indicated he was babysitting a baby boy.

Brindley, who had identified himself as "Rod" from "Central NJ," activated his webcam and asked the detective "are u sitting there hoping ill do something with him now but don't  want to ask me," the FBI agent states. The detective replied: "lol... l would never ask... that would be inappropriate given our relationship at this point."   

Without further encouragement, Brindley proceeded to sexually assault the boy while the detective captured the footage, the FBI agent said.

Law enforcement immediately contacted New Jersey authorities, who requested and acquired records from Cingular Wireless and Comcast, revealing Brindley's cell phone number and IP address. 

Brindley was arrested that day on state child endangerment and child pornography charges. 

The federal charge of sexual exploitation of a child carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years plus a $250,000 fine.