Bridgeport Man, 63, Pleads Guilty In Child Exploitation Case: Feds

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 63-year-old Bridgeport man waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty Thursday in connection with a federal child exploitation case, according to United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Michael Nastu pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to one count of attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor. Nastu, who is free since posting a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, was arrested in late June 2021.

According to court documents and statements, in March 2021, Nastu used the Kik social media application to initiate a chat with an undercover FBI employee, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl from Connecticut.

Between March 31 and June 25 of last year, Nastu sent the undercover operative "sexually explicit messages and several pictures and videos of male genitalia," and he attempted to entice the operative to send him child pornography in return.

"Although they had multiple text exchanges about meeting in person, Nastu never travelled to meet the [undercover operative]," according to prosecutors.

The offense that Nastu pleaded guilty to carries a maximum prison term of 10 years. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda S. Oakes and Nancy V. Gifford through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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