BRICK – A Township man has pled guilty to sexual assault charges after encouraging minors to perform sexual behavior on video chats, which he then recorded, officials said.
Christopher Budelman, 37, of Brick, pled guilty to two counts of Sexual Assault in connection with incidents that occurred in June 2022. At the time of his sentencing, the State will be seeking a term of seven years in New Jersey State Prison as to each count.
Budelman would also be subject to the terms of Megan’s Law, Nicole’s Law – which permanently prohibits him from having any contact with his victims, and Parole Supervision for Life. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force detected that an individual, later identified as Budelman, was uploading images of child pornography to the internet using the Kik messenger app.
On September 27, 2022, detectives searched Budelman’s home in Brick and seized a desktop computer with a hard drive containing images of child pornography.
While they were searching the home, detectives learned that Budelman was out of the country and subsequently he was charged on a warrant and his name was entered into the National Crime Information Center Database.
On October 4, 2022, Budelman was taken into custody by Officers from United States Department of Homeland Security-Investigations Unit at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Budelman was extradited to Ocean County, lodged in the Ocean County Jail, and subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
A full forensic examination of Budelman’s electronic devices revealed that Budelman had enticed two minors – one in Colorado and one in Ohio – to engage in sexually explicit conduct while he engaged in acts of sexual self-gratification. He recorded and saved those video chats on his computer.
As a consequence, on December 20, 2022, Budelman was additionally charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault, two counts of Sexual Assault, two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, two counts of Manufacturing Child Pornography, Distributing Child Pornography, Criminal Sexual Contact, and Possession of Child Pornography.
On December 20, 2022, Budelman surrendered himself to Brick Township Police Headquarters; he was transported to the Ocean County Jail where he has been lodged since that date.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater and Senior Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, United States Department of Homeland Security-Investigations Unit, New Jersey State Police K-9 Unit, Brick Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Butler County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Department, and Jefferson County (Colorado) Sheriff’s Department for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Budelman’s arrest, guilty plea, and soon his state prison sentence.
