Ocean County Man Sentenced 6 Years for Traveling for Sex With a Minor

A Toms River man has been sentenced in Trenton federal court to six years in prison for traveling overseas to engage in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old girl, federal prosecutors announced.

Jacob Bauer, 29, of Toms River, was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment by Robert Kirsch following his guilty plea to one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. The sentence was imposed in U.S. District Court in Trenton, according to Senior Counsel Philip W. Lamparello.

Bauer pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2025. In addition to the prison term, he was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit property used to commit the offense, and will be required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Travel to Norway and Subsequent Conduct

According to court filings and statements made in court, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 10, 2023, Bauer traveled from the United States to Norway, where he engaged in sexual activity with a 14-year-old female in a hotel. Prosecutors said Bauer was 27 years old at the time.

After returning to the United States, Bauer continued communicating with the victim and boasted to others about the sexual activity, while acknowledging the victim’s age and status as a minor. Authorities said members of an online community in which Bauer was active later published his personal information online after learning of his conduct.

Investigation and Law Enforcement Cooperation

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark. Federal prosecutors credited extensive cooperation from multiple domestic and international agencies, including the New Brunswick Police Department, Manchester Township Police Department, INTERPOL, and law enforcement authorities in Norway and Poland.

Assistance was also provided by FBI Legal Attaché offices at U.S. embassies in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Warsaw, Poland, as well as the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.

Part of Project Safe Childhood

Federal officials said the case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. The program coordinates federal, state, local, and international resources to investigate and prosecute offenses involving child exploitation and to identify and protect victims.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.