August 28, 2023

TRENTON — The Office of the Attorney General today announced a state grand jury has voted to file criminal charges against a college student who allegedly deceived children he contacted online into providing him sexually explicit videos of themselves, then used the internet connection of his Essex County-based university to upload the videos online.        

A grand jury in Trenton has returned a 12-count indictment against Keyon Luff, 21, of Edgewater Park in Burlington County, N.J. Luff was indicted on charges including manufacturing child sexual exploitation and abuse material. The defendant is being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark pending trial.        

According to the investigation led by the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Cybercrimes Unit/Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce, between January and July 2021, Luff used a popular social media platform to contact at least three children between the ages of 14 and 16 online, directed them to engage in sexual acts, told the victims to record themselves on video, and instructed them to send the lewd videos to him.        

Luff allegedly created fictitious social media accounts to contact underage children and engage in sexually explicit conversations. According to the investigation, the defendant impersonated an adult female on one platform and utilized that false identity to obtain sexual files of others, including minors.          

Detectives seized numerous digital devices from Luff’s dorm room during the execution of a search warrant on May 3, 2023. Investigators determined the defendant was allegedly in possession of illicit, unlawful images of child sex abuse.        

“As alleged in the indictment, the defendant assumed a fraudulent identity, posing as a woman with the specific intent of deceiving and manipulating children. The grand jury determined this individual utilized this charade to induce victims to produce footage that would later be shared online without their knowledge or consent,” said First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo. “Such material should not exist, let alone circulate. And the manner in which it was allegedly obtained from the victims is not only abhorrent — it illustrates the alleged predatory premeditation that went into these crimes.”

“This case illustrates that the Division of Criminal Justice will stop at nothing to investigate and prosecute those who exploit children over social media platforms,” said J. Stephen Ferketic, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We urge parents to be vigilant, and to be aware of who their children are communicating with on social media platforms.”          

The criminal investigation leading to Luff’s arrest was launched following a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a private nonprofit that assists with the location of missing children, reduction of child sexual exploitation, and prevention of child victimization.         In this investigation, NCMEC reported that a cloud-based file hosting service reported that several files depicting suspected child sex abuse were uploaded to its platform. Investigators determined that the Internet Protocol (IP) address used to upload the files was associated with the university Luff was attending, and further investigation identified him as a suspect.        

Luff has been indicted on the following charges:        

Manufacturing Child Sexual Exploitation/Abuse Material– three counts, 1st Degree Sexual Assault — 2nd Degree Photographing or Filming a Child in a Prohibited Sexual Act or in the Simulation of Such an Act – three counts, 2nd Degree Impairing or Debauching the Morals of a Child – three counts, 3rd Degree Possession of Child Sexual Exploitation/Abuse Material (less than 1,000 items) – 3rd Degree Impersonation — 4th Degree          

First-degree charges are punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $200,000. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000 Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Fourth-degree charges carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in New Jersey State Prison and a fine of up to $10,000.          

The investigation was led by the DCJ Cybercrimes Unit under the supervision of Lt. Richard DaSilva. Deputy Attorney General Robert Guarni is prosecuting the case for the DCJ Cybercrimes Unit, under the Supervision of Deputy Unit Chief Lisa Rastelli, Unit Chief Jillian Carpenter, and Interim DCJ Director Derek Nececkas.          

These charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.          

Defense attorney Dorion B. Morgan, Esq., Mount Holly

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May 8, 2023

TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced charges against a Montclair State University (MSU) student who was arrested at his residence on the school’s campus in Essex County, NJ, for allegedly possessing and creating Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material (CSAEM) involving children he contacted online. The arrest is the result of an investigation led by the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Cybercrime Bureau/Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce.

Keyon Luff, 21, of Edgewater Park, NJ, is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child for manufacturing CSAEM, second-degree sexual assault, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child for possession of CSAEM, and third-degree impersonation.

Luff, a junior at MSU, was taken into custody after detectives with the DCJ Cybercrime Bureau, assisted by the Montclair State University Police Department (MSUPD), executed a search warrant on Luff’s dorm room shortly before 7 a.m. on May 3, 2023. As a result of the search, detectives seized numerous digital devices from Luff’s room and determined that Luff was not only in possession of CSAEM, but also created fictitious social media accounts to contact underage children and engage in sexually explicit conversations. In some of those conversations, Luff directed children to perform sexual acts, record them, and send them to him via social media platforms. Luff was processed by MSUPD and transported to the Essex County Jail where he is being held pending a detention hearing.

“I commend the work of the dedicated men and women of the Division of Criminal Justice for their ongoing work on this case and the countless other cases against individuals who use the internet as a means to gain access into the lives of children,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Through our tireless efforts, we are working to identify and bring to justice those who seek to exploit the most vulnerable members of society – our children.”

The investigation that led to Luff’s arrest was initiated by the DCJ Cybercrime Bureau following a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization that assists with the location of missing children, reduction in child sexual exploitation, and prevention of child victimization. It also is an international clearing house that gathers information from law enforcement agencies and the public regarding issues of missing and exploited children. Cybertips are also reported to NCMEC when there is an allegation of a child being exploited over the Internet. NCMEC will then disseminate the information to the appropriate agencies for investigation.

Specifically, in this investigation, NCMEC reported that a cloud-based file hosting service reported that several files of suspected CSAEM were uploaded to its platform. Through investigative measures, investigators were able to determine that the Internet Protocol (IP) address used to upload the CSAEM files was associated with Montclair State University. Further investigation identified Luff as a suspect. 

Deputy Attorney General Robert Guarni is prosecuting the case for the DCJ Cybercrime Bureau, under the Supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Lisa Rastelli, Bureau Chief Jillian Carpenter, and Deputy Director Derek Nececkas. The investigation was led by the DCJ Cybercrime Bureau under the supervision of Lieutenant Richard DaSilva.

Attorney General Platkin thanked the Montclair State University Police Department and its Detective Bureau for their assistance. 

First-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree charges carry a sentence of three of five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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