Former NJ family services worker charged with coercing sex
TRENTON, N.J. (WTXF) - A former New Jersey assistant family services worker has been indicted on charges of official misconduct and sexual assault on two women. He allegedly used his position to have sex with them.
Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced Lamont King, 40, of Trenton was indicted last Friday.
Investigators say King worked for the Department of Children and Families, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, and he had to take both adults and children to and from court-scheduled visits, and supervise those visits.
According to Porrino, "King used his position to have sexual relations with two DCPP clients on multiple occasions in 2015 and 2016. He was suspended without pay as a result of the allegations and later terminated by the department."
Porrino went on, "With both of these women, King is alleged to have ruthlessly exploited a mother's love for her children and his power over that emotionally charged relationship to coerce them into having sex with him …It's hard to imagine a more offensive abuse of authority."
King is charged with two counts of official misconduct, one count of pattern of official misconduct, two counts of bribery in official matters, one count of sexual assault. Each of those six second-degree charges could mean five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. But official misconduct, pattern of official misconduct, and bribery carry a mandatory minimum period of five years without eligibility of parole.
He also faces a third-degree charge of tampering with public records or information, which carries a sentence of three to five years in prison, including a mandatory two-year period of parole ineligibility, and a fine of up to $15,000.
King is being held in the Mercer County Jail with bail set at $75,000.