Ryan Niksa, Online Enticement Of A Minor, New Jersey 2025

NEWARK, N.J. - A Hudson County man has been charged with enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. Ryan Niksa, 34, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was charged in a one-count complaint with enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Niksa had an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court on January 29, 2025, and was ordered detained. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Niksa communicated with a minor victim located in another state through social media applications and text messages.

Niksa and the minor victim exchanged sexually explicit photos and videos. Niksa expressed his desire to live with the minor victim, discussed traveling to the minor victim's home state to be with her, and discussed running away with the minor victim to another country where they could evade law enforcement.

Enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the FBI, the Jersey City Police Department, and the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office with the investigation leading to the charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Thompson of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Ryan Niksa, 34, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was charged with enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. He had an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court on January 29, 2025, and was ordered detained. This case is being investigated by the FBI, the Jersey City Police Department, and the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office.

Niksa is currently being held without bail. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine, if convicted. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/hudson-county-man-charged-online-enticement-minor