Albany, New York - Thomas Cesiro, a 69-year-old resident of Rutland, Vermont, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Following a three-day trial, Cesiro was convicted by a jury on October 13, 2022. The trial presented evidence that between October 10 and October 20, 2020, Cesiro exchanged over 1,000 text messages and had 9 phone calls with investigators based in Albany, who were posing as a 12-year-old girl and her adult mother. During one of the phone calls, Cesiro provided instructions on how to engage in a sexual act.
On October 20, 2020, Cesiro traveled from his residence in Rutland to Bennington, Vermont, to meet the purported mother and the 12-year-old child. He brought various sex devices and gifts for the child, including a vibrating Frozen-themed toothbrush. Cesiro was apprehended by law enforcement officials upon his arrival at the meeting location and subsequently arrested.
United States District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino also imposed a 10-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which included investigators from the Colonie Police Department, Rotterdam Police Department, and New York State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Williams and Richard Belliss.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aimed at safeguarding children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's offices, Project Safe Childhood brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children through the Internet, while also identifying and rescuing victims.
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