By: Richard L. Smith
An Ocean County man admitted to traveling to a foreign place to engage in explicit conduct with a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Jacob Bauer, 29, of Toms River, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to a one-count Information charging him with engaging in illicit explicit conduct in a foreign place.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From December 1, 2023, through December 10, 2023, Bauer, then 27 years old, traveled from the United States to Norway to engage in explicit activity with a 14-year-old female.
Once in Norway, Bauer, staying at a hotel, engaged in sexual activity with the victim.
After returning to the United States, Bauer communicated over social media platforms with the victim and others about his explicit activities with the victim.
During those conversations, Bauer acknowledged the victim’s age and status as a minor.
After members of an online community that Bauer was active in learned of his explicit activities with a minor, Bauer was “doxxed” (his public information published online) by members of that community.
The charge of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place carries a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2026.