Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut
A Torrington man, Christopher Jesus Constanzo, 22, has pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to charges related to the sexual exploitation of three minors. Acting U.S. Attorney Marc H. Silverman announced that Constanzo's offenses include kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, enticing and sexually assaulting another 16-year-old girl, and producing child pornography involving a 17-year-old girl.
Court documents reveal that on December 2, 2021, Constanzo attempted to enter Canada with a minor at the Highgate Springs port of entry in Vermont. The Canadian authorities had previously denied them entry due to missing COVID tests. The victim reported that she met Constanzo the night before at Stillwater Pond State Park in Torrington where he assaulted her and forced her into the trunk of her car. During their journey towards Canada, Constanzo assaulted her again before they were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers.
In July 2021, using Snapchat, Constanzo coerced another 16-year-old female to meet him at an abandoned warehouse in Torrington under threats against her and her boyfriend. There he assaulted her at knifepoint. Additionally, during the same month, he recorded explicit videos of a 17-year-old female using his iPhone.
Constanzo has admitted his conduct against all three victims as part of his plea agreement for production of child pornography. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 7 by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment with a maximum possible sentence of up to 30 years.
Since his arrest on December 2, 2021, Constanzo has been detained with state charges still pending against him.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), CBP, Vermont State Police, and Torrington Police Department with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford and Neeraj N. Patel.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman expressed gratitude towards the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont and Litchfield Judicial District's State’s Attorney for their support in this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood Initiative by the U.S Department of Justice aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood visit www.justice.gov/psc or report cases at www.cybertipline.com.
