Charge: N.J. man flew to Lexington to have sex with teen, threatened to leak nude photos
A New Jersey man faces federal charges after he allegedly flew to Lexington to have sex with a minor and then attempted to extort her when she tried to stop their relationship, according to court records.
Alfredo Bermejo-Martinez of Passaic, N.J. is facing charges of rape, two counts of possessing sexual matter of a minor and five counts of use of a minor in a sexual performance, according to court documents. He was released from jail one month ago after posting a $25,000 bond but was then taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to being in the country illegally, court records show.
Bermejo-Martinez met the victim on PUBG Mobile, an online video game, in late 2018 to early 2019, according to court documents. Eventually they began communicating over Snapchat and in September 2020, Bermejo-Martinez asked the victim for nude images and videos.
Bermejo-Martinez used another phone app to save the sexual content of the victim without her knowing, according to court documents. Bermejo-Martinez also sent sexual matter of himself to the victim.
In February 2021, Bermejo-Martinez traveled from New Jersey to Lexington to meet the victim, according to court documents. The victim provided Bermejo-Martinez with her address and Bermejo-Martinez made a total of four trips to Lexington, most recently in May 2022.
The victim told detectives she was subjected to sexual activity during those visits, and sometimes it is was consensual and sometimes forced, according to court documents. The victim was 15 and Bermejo-Martinez was 23 during two of the visits, according to court documents.
After the third visit, the victim ended the relationship with Bermejo-Martinez, court documents say. However, Bermejo-Martinez threatened to post the victim’s nude images and videos if the relationship didn’t continue.
After the relationship was ended, Bermejo-Martinez allegedly created fake social media accounts purporting to be the victim. Court documents say he would send the victim’s nude images to friends and family members and he even attempted to sell the images to the victim’s boyfriend.
In June 2022, the victim and her father met with a Lexington Police Department detective.
In September, the detective coordinated with the sheriff’s department in Passaic to execute a search warrant at Bermejo-Martinez’s home, according to court documents. The search warrant was executed and Bermejo-Martinez was arrested.
Bermejo-Martinez was extradited to Lexington in October. Bermejo-Martinez remains detained in ICE custody, according to court documents.
FBI: ‘Sextortion’ cases becoming increasingly common
According to the FBI, law enforcement has received over 7,000 reports related to online “sextortion” of minors, resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys, and more than a dozen suicides. Many of those cases stem from outside the United States, primarily in West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, according to the FBI.
The cases are often tied to financial motives, according to the FBI.
“The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys—and the fact is that the many victims who are afraid to come forward are not even included in those numbers,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is here for victims, but we also need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and help children come forward if it does.”
“Victims may feel like there is no way out—it is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, there is hope, and they are not alone.”
