Yehudi Manzano, Child Pornography, Connecticut 2016

A local man has been charged with producing and transporting child pornography in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Yehudi Manzano, 33, was indicted by a federal grand jury in New Haven on May 3, 2018, and surrendered to authorities yesterday.

According to the indictment, on August 21, 2016, Manzano sexually assaulted a 15-year-old female victim, video recorded the assault with his cell phone, and uploaded the video to his Google account.

The charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, while the charge of transportation of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Manzano appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport yesterday afternoon and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. He was released on a $300,000 bond and electronic GPS monitoring.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Waterbury Police Department. The case 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.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/waterbury-man-charged-child-pornography-offenses