Man Charged With Attempted Sexual Assault Of Minor: Greenwich PD

GREENWICH, CT — A 36-year-old Massachusetts man is being charged with criminal attempt at sexual assault after police said he came to Greenwich to have sex with a minor.

According to the Greenwich Police Department, John Cesarini, 36, of Abington, Mass., was arrested on Oct. 3 in Greenwich and charged with criminal attempt at sexual assault with a victim under the age of 16; second-degree criminal attempt at sexual assault; and criminal attempt at enticing a minor by computer.

Cesarini is being held on a $750,000 bond, and is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Oct. 18.

Police said detectives from the GPD's Special Victims Section had been involved in an internet sexual predator investigation for several weeks.

"The suspect believed one of the detectives was a 13-year-old female and began extensive conversations which included him sending explicit text messages indicating specific sex acts he wanted to engage with what he believed was a juvenile child," the GPD said in a news release. "The suspect also sent explicit photographs of male genitalia to the undercover investigator and communicated his desire to travel to Greenwich in order perform sex acts."

A meeting was arranged for Oct. 3, and Cesarini arrived at the agreed upon location in Greenwich where he was met by police, according to a press release from the GPD. Police said they found a cell phone on Cesarini that was used to communicate with the believed child, as well as marijuana and a box of condoms.

"Greenwich Police continues its efforts to protect vulnerable members of our community from child predators," said Deputy Chief Robert Berry in a news release.

"Our Special Victims Section is at the forefront of initiatives to keep our children safe, however, we urge parents to remain vigilant and monitor their children’s online activity and who they engage with through phone, text, email and social media. We will remain proactive in addressing threats and encourage the community to keep us aware of suspicious activity."

The GPD is reminding residents to contact the GPD Special Victims Section at 203-622-8030 if they're a victim or know someone who is a victim of inappropriate online sexual activity.