Man Posed As Teen To Sexually Exploit Morris Co. Kids, Feds Say

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County man has been accused of exploiting local teens by asking them over social media to engage in sexually explicit video calls, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Carlos Xavier Urbina-Gutierrez, aka Luis Urbina-Gutierrez, 23, of Wharton, has been charged with possessing and producing child pornography and enticing a minor to produce child pornography, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors claim that in 2023, Urbina-Gutierrez impersonated a female student at a high school in Morris County, using fake social media accounts to interact with underage boys enrolled at the school.

According to authorities, Urbina-Gutierrez used one of his social media accounts to encourage a victim to partake in sexually explicit behavior during a video call on Christmas Day. Urbina-Gutierrez discreetly recorded and saved videos of the act to his phone during the call, court records show.

In May, police brought Urbina-Gutierrez into the station for questioning after learning he was allegedly soliciting videos from minors online. During his interrogation, court records revealed that he admitted to falsely telling another student at the high school that he had used fake social media accounts to obtain nude videos from various individuals, though he claimed he had not actually done so.

Following the initial interview, Urbina-Gutierrez consented to a search of his home, during which detectives found a second cellphone that had on it a one-minute video of the child engaging in sex acts, the complaint stated.

On May 15, he admitted to creating fake profiles to engage in sexual conversations with minors over video calls, suggesting that they do sexually explicit activities and recording the calls to keep copies.

Urbina-Gutierrez was then arrested and charged, officials said.

The charge of production of child pornography has a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. Enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum life sentence. Possession of child pornography has a maximum penalty of 10 years. Each charge may include a fine of up to $250,000.