SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICER CAUGHT IN STING OPERATION AND CHARGED WITH SOLICITING SEX WITH A "13 YEAR OLD GIRL" THROUGH AN INTERNET CHATROOM

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that a 47 year old School Safety Officer has been arrested and charged with attempting to have sexual relations with a "13 year old girl" whom the defendant met in an Internet chat room.

Ben Auerbach, of 1687 Jerome Avenue, the Bronx, was charged with Attempted Rape in the 2nd degree, a Class E felony offense punishable by a maximum sentence of up to four years imprisonment, Attempted Disseminating Indecent Material to minors in the 1st degree, also a Class E felony offense and Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class B Misdemeanor offense punishable by a maximum sentence of up to 60 days in jail.

Auerbach was arrested by Detective Investigators from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office after going to an apartment that he believed to be the child’s residence for the purpose of having sex with her. Investigators confiscated four condoms that were in the defendant’s possession at the time of his arrest.

The arrest was the culmination of a series of conversations between the defendant and a Detective Investigator from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office who met the defendant in an Internet chat room while pretending to be a thirteen year old girl. During their chats, the defendant allegedly made it clear that he wanted to have sexual relations with the person he believed to be a minor and even described specific sexual acts that he wanted to perform.

During the course of the investigation, the undercover detective arranged to meet with the defendant for the express purpose of having sex. Auerbach, who used the screen name "Hotrod 1047" first initiated conversation with the undercover detective and began making sexual advances on September 24, 2002 in an Internet chat room entitled "I Like Older Men."

Defendant Auerbach worked for the NYPD Office of School Safety and was assigned to the Motor Pool at 600 East 6th Street, Manhattan.

This arrest is the result of an ongoing initiative of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office is part of a satellite task force that is funded by a grant from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Andrew Kampel and Robert Bergida.