SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICER CAUGHT IN STING OPERATION PLEADS GUILTY

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that a 47 year-old School Safety Officer has been convicted for attempting to disseminate indecent material to a minor.

Ben Auerbach, of 1687 Jerome Avenue, the Bronx, pled guilty to 1 count of Attempted Disseminating Indecent Materials to Minors in the 1st degree, a class "E" felony offense. Under the terms of the plea agreement Acting State Supreme Court Justice Robert E. Torres promised the defendant a term of six months in jail to be followed by 4 ½ years of probation. Sentencing is set for Thursday, November 21, 2002 in Part F.

Auerbach was arrested by Detective Investigators from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office after going to an apartment he believed to be that of a thirteen year-old girl he met in an Internet chat room, 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. During their chats, the defendant made it clear he wanted to have a sexual relationship with the person he believed to be a minor and even described specific sexual acts 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 name "Hotrod1047" 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".

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

This arrest and prosecution 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.

Assistant District Attorney’s Andrew Kampel and Robert Bergida are prosecuting this case.