Carlos Inesti, 29, Charged with Child Exploitation Offenses

A West Haven man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with child exploitation offenses. Carlos Inesti, 29, of West Haven, was taken into custody after an investigation revealed he had recorded videos of himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a toddler-aged girl.

According to court documents, Inesti shared the videos through the Telegram application. The investigation was led by the FBI’s New Haven and Salt Lake City Field Offices, with assistance from the West Haven Police Department.

U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Inesti appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven and was released on a $100,000 bond into home detention with location monitoring. He is prohibited from accessing the internet and having any contact with minors.

The complaint charges Inesti with sexual exploitation of children, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years. He is also charged with distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which aims to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

The FBI urges anyone with information about this case to contact them at (203) 777-6311.