A Sussex County man who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old boy for sex was sentenced to seven years in state prison, authorities announced on Friday.
As part of the sentencing, Larry Noel, 49, of Stanhope, will also remain on parole for life and have to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law, according to a press release issued April 10 by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
According to authorities, Noel reached out to an undercover police officer in April 2019 who was posing as a 14-year-old on the adults-only male dating website Adam4Adam, according to authorities and court documents.
Noel said he was 29 years old and asked the undercover officer if they wanted to meet for sex, according to the press release. Police said that Noel engaged the decoy in a sexually explicit conversation.
The two arranged to meet in Upper Saddle River, and when Noel arrived, he was arrested, police said. Authorities announced at the time that Noel was one of 16 people arrested in a statewide child predator bust, called Operation Home Alone.
“The internet can be a dangerous place for anyone, let alone children,” New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice director Theresa Hilton said in a statement. “We will use all the tools we have to find and prosecute those who prey on kids.”
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sussex man sentenced to seven years in prison in child predator bust
