South Jersey Woman Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Assault

TRENTON – Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Camden County woman pleaded guilty today to having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old boy and photographing the boy and an 8-year-old girl engaged in a sexual act.
Rachael L. Baker, 21, of Winslow Township, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Irvin J. Snyder in Camden County to first-degree aggravated sexual assault, admitting that she engaged in sexual acts with the 13-year-old boy on three occasions. She also pleaded guilty to a second count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and counts of conspiracy and child endangerment, both in the second degree. She admitted in connection with those charges that she directed an 8-year-old girl to perform oral sex on the 13-year-old boy and took a photo of the act with her cell phone, which she sent to a co-defendant, Gary T. Cramer, 27, of Bridgeton. Cramer, who Baker believed was her boyfriend, allegedly directed her to photograph the children in the sexual act. Cramer was indicted with Baker on June 28, 2011 and faces first- and second-degree charges.
Under her plea agreement, the state will recommend that Baker be sentenced to 10 years in state prison, including a period of parole ineligibility equal to 85 percent of the sentence. The charges are the result of an investigation by the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice. Deputy Attorney General Kenneth Sharpe took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice. Judge Snyder scheduled sentencing for Baker for Dec. 14.
“There are few crimes as abhorrent and heartbreaking as the sexual abuse and exploitation of children,” said Attorney General Chiesa. “This defendant will rightly face a lengthy prison sentence for her depraved acts involving a vulnerable boy and girl.”
“We are using state-of-the-art computer forensics to investigate and prosecute those who create digital photos or videos of sexual assaults on children or other forms of child pornography, as well as those who download and distribute such files on the Internet,” said Stephen J. Taylor, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We will continue to partner with the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit to detect and prosecute such offenders.”
The investigation also resulted in charges against a second woman, Stephanie Bennett, 25, of Woodbine, who was indicted separately on June 27, 2011. Bennett was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and five counts of endangering the welfare of a child, including four second-degree counts and one fourth-degree count. She allegedly made a video using her cell phone of herself performing oral sex on an infant boy. The charges against her are pending.
In connection with the photograph Baker took of the boy and girl engaged in the sexual act, Cramer is charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree conspiracy, three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child (including one count of distribution of child pornography), two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of fourth-degree endangering the welfare of a child (possession of child pornography). Cramer is charged with five additional counts of endangering the welfare of a child, including possession and distribution of child pornography, in connection with another alleged pornographic photo of the 8-year-old girl.
The charges against Cramer and Bennett are merely accusations and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
State Police detectives initially arrested Baker on Jan. 23, 2011, and arrested Cramer and Bennett on Feb. 16, 2011. Cramer is being held in the Camden County Jail with bail set at $200,000, and Bennett is in the Cape May County Jail with bail set at $300,000. Baker is being held in the Camden County Jail without bail pending sentencing.
The lead investigator for the New Jersey State Police is Detective Erin Micciulla. The case was investigated by the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit, New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, NJSP Cyber Crimes Unit, NJSP Missing Persons Unit, NJSP Troop A Criminal Investigation Office and NJSP TEAMS South Unit. Assistance was provided by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office and Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
As part of the investigation, the State Police executed search warrants on Feb. 16, 2011 for Cramer’s home, his vehicle and Bennett’s home. Detectives seized three computers from Cramer’s home. During the search of his vehicle, detectives seized a laptop computer and cell phone belonging to Cramer, as well as a cell phone that had belonged to Bennett. They were taken to the Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory at the Hamilton (Mercer County) Technology Center for examination.