Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER T. AGRITELLY, 31, formerly of New Britain, Conn., and Tempe, Ariz., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by eight years of supervised release, for violating federal sex offender registration laws.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA"), which was passed by Congress in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States and seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs. In part, SORNA requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2007, AGRITELLY was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court in New Britain of first degree sexual abuse and was sentenced to a term of incarceration of 15 years, execution suspended, seven years to serve, followed by 15 years of probation and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. When he was released from prison in February 2013, AGRITELLY was informed of his registration obligations under SORNA.
AGRITELLY initially complied with Connecticut Sex Offender Registry requirements while he resided in New Britain after his release from prison. However, in August 2013, he failed to respond to an address verification request and a subsequent Notice of Violation sent by the Sex Offender Registry Unit. He also failed to report to his state probation officer. The state then obtained an arrest warrant for AGRITELLY for a violation of the terms and conditions of his probation.
On Jan. 29, 2014, AGRITELLY was arrested by law enforcement in Tempe, Ariz., pursuant to the probation violation warrant issued in Connecticut. He never registered as a sex offender in Arizona.
AGRITELLY has been detained since his arrest. On Dec. 2, 2014, he pleaded guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender.
AGRITELLY currently is serving a 78-month state prison term for violating his state probation and absconding to Arizona, and a two-year concurrent sentence for possessing a weapon while incarcerated. Judge Thompson ordered that AGRITELLY will begin serving his two-year federal sentence when he is released from state custody.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
