Youth Pastor Indicted

YOUTH PASTOR INDICTED FOR THE ONLINE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF YOUNG BOYS

     " Sean Higgins,31, Indicted On 75 Counts For Blackmailing Teens To Send Him Pictures Of Them Performing Sex Acts."

August 20, 2022 6:21 P.M. ET By Art Fletcher Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,

MOUNT HOLLY, NJ.- On Friday, August 19, 2022, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a Palmyra man has been Indicted on Charges related to Coaxing Underage Boys on Social Media to send him Nude Pictures and Videos, then using that material to Blackmail his Victims into performing Sexual Acts on themselves for his enjoyment.

     A Grand Jury sitting in Burlington County, New Jersey Indicted Sean Higgins, 31, on Seventy-Five Counts that included Charges of Endangering the Welfare of a Child; Aggravated Sexual Assault; Criminal Sexual Contact; Cyber Harassment; and Obscenity to a Minor. Thirteen of the Counts were First Degree Charges.

     Mr. Higgins is accused of committing these Crimes in 2020 while serving as the Youth Pastor and Music Leader at Harbor Baptist Church in Hainesport, New Jersey and serving as a Teacher at the Harbor Baptist Academy, a Private K-12 School that is housed in the same facility.

     The indictment includes Thirteen Victims, ranging in Age from Twelve to Seventeen, who resided in Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Tennessee. The Grand Jury returned the Indictment on , Tuesday, August 16, 2022. An Arraignment will be scheduled in the next few weeks in Superior Court in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

     Mr. Higgins has been Detained in The Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly since his Arrest at his residence in October 2020. With the assistance of the New Jersey State Police, Court Authorized Search Warrants were Executed at that time on his home as well as the church, and multiple electronic devices were seized. 

     The investigation revealed that Mr. Higgins would pretend to be a teenage girl and utilize Snapchat and Instagram to begin a conversation with a Juvenile Males, introducing himself as Julie Miller. After establishing a rapport, he would suggest that they trade photos. Mr. Higgins would then send pictures of an unidentified female teenager.

     Further, the investigation uncovered that Mr. Higgins would often receive Nude Photos that the Boys took of themselves. Immediately upon receiving those images, Higgins would take a screenshot of the victim’s friends list that was visible on the Forward-Facing Social Media Platform. Mr. Higgins would send that screenshot back to the Boys and Threaten to send the Nude Photos he had just received to the list of the victim’s friends unless the victim did exactly what Mr. Higgins demanded.

     Mr. Higgins then demanded that the Boys go into the bathroom at their residence and place the phone on the floor, or at an angle looking up, and would instruct the Boys to Masturbate or Perform Sexual Acts on themselves. Mr. Higgins would record the acts.

     According to the videos made by Mr. Higgins that were obtained during the investigation, the Boys would often beg Mr. Higgins to be allowed to Stop Engaging in Sexual Conduct, but Mr. Higgins would demand that they complete his instructions, or face the consequences of having the recordings he was making of the incident be sent to their list of friends.

     The investigation began after a youth in Berks County, Pa., contacted Snapchat and reported that he sent nude photos of himself to someone he believed to be an unknown female. The unknown female, who in actuality was Mr. Higgins, had threatened to expose his nude photographs after they exchanged pictures. An underage boy in Alabama also reported his communications with Mr. Higgins to Law Enforcement Authorities.

     Anyone who believes Their Child has had inappropriate interaction on Snapchat or Instagram with someone going by the user name of Julie Miller, Julia Miller, or some variation of that name, is asked to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609- 265-7113, or send an email to tips@co.burlington.nj.us.

" The Rules Of The Court Require Us To Include A Statement, That States: The Charges Outlined In This Publication Are Merely Accusations And The Defendant And Or Defendants Are Presumed Innocent Unless And Until Proven Guilty Beyond Reasonable Doubt."

FILED UNDER AUGUST 20, 2022: LAW, BURLINGTON: