Manchester Man Facing Federal Porn Charge for Online Activity

MANCHESTER, CT — A 37-year-old Manchester man has slapped with a federal pornography charge for alleged online encounters with a teenage boy, a leading prosecutor said.

John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said Wednesday that 37-year-old Luqman Gotti, formerly known as Timothy Pennington, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with receiving and soliciting child pornography.

Gotti appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford on Wednesday morning.

Gotti has been in state custody since Nov. 13, when he was arrested on related state charges, Durham said.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 14, Gotti and a 13-year-old boy were communicating through the Kik online messaging application after Gotti responded to an ad the boy had posted on Craigslist.

After the boy informed Gotti that he was 14, Gotti asked the boy for pictures and sent the boy a sexually explicit image, according to the complaint.

In return, the boy sent sexually explicit pictures himself to Gotti, according to the complaint.

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

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, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Gotti has a prior felony conviction in Connecticut under the name Timothy Pennington for second degree sexual assault in a case involving a 14-year-old girl. According to the complaint, Gotti legally changed his name from Timothy Pennington.

If convicted, Gotti faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years, a maximum term of 30 years and a fine of up to $250,000, Durham said.

Durham said the prosecution efforts are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at "protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

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