Kruzynski
A Shelton lawyer faces between 10 years and life in prison after pleading guilty to a federal child exploitation charge Wednesday (Jan. 3).
Peter Kruzynski, 51, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, U.S. Attorney John Durham said in a prepared statement.
Federal prosecutors arrested Kruzynski Sept. 14, 2016, two weeks after he was charged by Shelton police with sexual assault.
He has been behind bars since October 2016, when Durham said Kruzynski’s bond was revoked for failing to comply with conditions of his release.
According to Durham, Kruzynski pleaded guilty to using his cell phone “to entice a male victim, who was under the age of 16, to engage in sexual activity.”
“Specifically, Kruzynski sent text messages to the victim asking him to come to Kruzynski’s home, where Kruzynski then engaged in sexual activity with the victim,” Durham said. “In addition, on one occasion in December 2014, Kruzynski used his phone to take photographs of the victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”
Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2018, at which time Kruzynski faces “a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life,” Durham said.
Kruzynski, a lawyer who had a practice in Shelton, had his law license suspended after his arrest.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Shelton police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
“This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation,” Durham said. “For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.”
In addition to the federal case, Kruzynski also faces charges in state court of first‑, second‑, and fourth-degree sexual assault, witness coercion, and two counts of illegal sexual contact with a minor.
