A registered Megan's Law offender is accused of luring multiple girls to his Weymouth Township home, and paying some for sex acts and explicit videos.
William McDermott, 54, faces 17 counts, including two counts of first-degree human trafficking and four counts each of child luring and prostitution of a minor, both second-degree crimes.
An investigation into three sisters found hiding in a neighbor's shed on Loretta Avenue, led to four separate cases involving six victims, including one who had been performing sexual acts in exchange for money nearly weekly since July, according to affidavits obtained by BreakingAC.
McDermott was arrested Sept. 15, after three girls' father told police he found communication on his daughters' cell phones with an older white man who the father described as "a known pedophile."
One of the girls told investigators that McDermott paid her and her sisters to perform various tasks, including cleaning golf balls, yardwork and washing his car, but denied anything inappropriate.
McDermott also claimed there was no inappropriate contact, and let investigators search his cell phone, according to the affidavit.
State Police found messages with one of the girls around midnight trying to set up meetings for her to come to his home to walk on his back and buttocks.
Days after his arrest, McDermott was charged in a case involving another girl who said she left his home after he groped her as she and another girl moved golf balls from one shed to another.
She said that she dropped one of the balls and, when she bent down to pick it up, McDermott came up behind her and grabbed her by the waist, pressing her to him.
The girl indicated on a diagram that he grabbed her groin area, according to the affidavit. He paid her $20 instead of the $10 they had agreed upon for the original task.
On a prior occasion, the girl said she was paid $20 to walk on McDermott's back and buttocks barefoot.
McDermott was due to have a detention hearing Monday on the two cases, but instead was in court via video for a first appearance in the two newest cases that resulted from a warranted search of McDermott's cell phone last week.
Investigators found a text from a 16-year-old girl asking McDermott to CashApp her $15 for video of her private areas.
"Ok, if they're really good," he replied, according to the affidavit.
A CashApp transaction for the $15 was logged two minutes after he received the video, the report states.
Police tracked the Hamilton Township girl with help from police there, who told them she first met "Bill" when he offered her a ride in July as she was walking to the store.
Once inside the vehicle, he offered her $50 for oral sex, and she complied, the affidavit states.
After that, he would take her to his house about once a week for sexual acts, and pay her, she told police.
The last time was Sept. 11, when she contacted him for a ride with a friend.
McDermott picked up her and the other girl and took them back to his home for what the other victim described as a "threesome," during which the girls performed sexual acts with him.
Outgoing payments show he sent each girl $150 through CashApp, the affidavit states.
McDermott's LinkedIn lists him as working at Seaview Golf Club since May 2010.
The club told BreakingAC no one could comment on McDermott.
While he is not listed on the public Megan's Law registry, McDermott is confirmed to be a registered sex offender, according to the affidavit.
Not all Megan's Law offenders are listed on the registry available online. A private hearing is usually held to determine if that will be a requirement.
Neighbors told BreakingAC that — while there were rumors that he was a sex offender — they never received official notification to confirm his status.
It appears the prior offense dates to a 2004 aggravated criminal sexual contact case out of Vineland, Cumberland County, court records show. He pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and was given one year probation.
McDermott is in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending a detention hearing set for Thursday.
