Mass Man Arrested For Attempt To Lure A Local Child
Former Lake Como Resident Charged W/ Endangering The Welfare Of A Child
An investigation conducted by the Ocean Township Police Department with aid from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit has led to the luring and child endangerment arrest of a Massachusetts man, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced Thursday afternoon.
Michael Camacho [at right], 55, formerly of Lake Como and most recently of New Bedford, Mass, was arrested Wednesday 
and charged with second-degree luring in connection with sexual text messages sent to an undercover police officer posing as an 11-year old Monmouth County girl, according to news statement.
Camacho was also charged with second-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of third-degree attempted endangering the welfare of a child, and the third-degree crime of attempted obscenity to a minor.
He was arrested by members of the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Office of the Attorney General, Massachusetts Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, Enterprise, Major and Cyber Crime Division, and the New Bedford Police Department in New Bedford, Massachusetts, according to a news release.
The arrest is the culmination of an undercover investigation, launched after Camacho contacted a female child on her cell phone, officials said. An undercover detective with the Ocean Township Police Department took control of the child’s phone and began communicating with Camacho, officials said.
The communications between Camacho and the undercover detective went on for weeks. During the text message conversations with the undercover detective, Camacho discussed engaging in sexual activity with the child, sent obscene photographs of himself, requested that the child send him photographs of herself, and discussed meeting up with the child, officials said.
Camacho faces a sentence of five to ten years in a New Jersey state prison and is subject to the provisions of Megan’s Law and Parole Supervision for Life upon his release if convicted of either of the second-degree charges, officials said. He faces a sentence of three to five years in for the third-degree charges, which invokes the provisions of Megan’s Law and the lifelong parole supervision.
Camacho, who has waived extradition, will be transported to New Jersey to face the charges.
Anyone who may have information about this investigation, or may have been subject to inappropriate online communications by Camacho should call Det Michael Melody of the Ocean Township Police Department at 732-897-3242 or Det Tiffany Lenart of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit at 732-431-7160.
The case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco.
————————————————————————————————————
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.
