A Connecticut man was arrested in Middletown on May 9 on a federal child sexual exploitation charge.
State police identified the suspect as Bryan Cruz Solano, 20, of Hartford, Conn.
Cruz Solano was arrested following a joint investigation by the Troop F State Police Computer Crimes Unit, the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the FBI New Haven Child Exploitation Task Force, the Orange County Child Abuse Unit, the Orange County Child Advocacy Center and the Hartford Police Department.
The investigation began on May 1 after the Troop F Computer Crimes Unit received information that Cruz Solano allegedly distributed child sexual abuse material, including videos depicting himself engaging in sexual acts involving a 12-year-old victim.
On May 8, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Cruz Solano’s residence in Hartford and at his previous residence in Middletown.
During the search, multiple electronic devices containing additional exploitative material involving the minor victim were found.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a news release that Cruz Solano admitted during an interview that he had engaged in sexual acts with a minor on approximately 25 occasions during the past year, and had recorded at least five of them, while in Middletown.
Cruz Solano was charged with one federal count of sexual exploitation of a child.
He was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo on May 9. U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas ordered him held without bail pending trial on May 12.
If Cruz Solano is convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The name of his attorney was not immediately available.
If anyone believes they were a victim of Cruz Solano, they should contact the state police in Middletown at 845-344-5300 and reference case number NY2600587421. They can also contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or https://tips.fbi.gov.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Connecticut man faces federal child sexual exploitation charges
Reporting by Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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