Manchester Man Enters Plea In Federal Child Exploitation Case

MANCHESTER, CT — A Manchester man has entered a plea in a federal child exploitation case, a leading prosecutor said.

John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that 37-year-old Luqman Gotti, formerly known as Timothy Pennington, of Manchester, waived his right to be indicted and entered a guilty plea Thursday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to a child pornography offense.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2017, Gotti and a 13-year-old boy were communicating through the Kik messaging application. After the boy informed Gotti that he was 14 years old, Gotti asked the boy for pictures and sent the boy a sexually explicit image of himself, intending that the boy send Gotti a sexually explicit picture in return, according to case records.

The boy then sent sexually explicit pictures of himself to Gotti, case records indicate.

Later in the conversation, according to court records, Gotti told the boy “I already went to jail over a 14-year-old ... not trying to go through that again.”

Gotti then asked the boy for more sexually explicit pictures and in response, the boy sent Gotti another sexually explicit photograph and video of himself, accordinmg to a cse records.

Gotti pleaded guilty to one count of accessing with intent to view child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.

However, based on Gotti’s prior felony conviction in the state of Connecticut for second-degree sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, the government’s position is that Gotti faces enhanced penalties of a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum term of 20 years, Durham said.

Gotti’s name in 2000, when he sustained the sexual assault conviction, was Timothy Pennington. Gotti legally changed his name, Durham said.

Gotti was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on April 25 and has been in state custody on related charges since Nov. 14, 2017.

A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

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