Norwalk Man Convicted In Attempted Rape Of 13-Year-Old: DA

NORWALK, CT — A 21-year-old Norwalk man was convicted in New York this week of second-degree attempted rape and first-degree disseminating indecent material to a minor, in a case involving a 13-year-old child, according to Putnam County District Attorney Robert V. Tendy.

Francisco Gomez was accused of enticing the 13-year-old on social media "to engage in sexual activity with him," Tendy said in a news release. The child's mother discovered the messages and notified authorities.

In addition to the Putnam County District Attorney's Office, the case was also investigated by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office; Department of Homeland Security; and Rockland County District Attorney Investigators.

Gomez was apprehended by law enforcement in April, as he traveled to Putnam County for what he believed was going to be a sexual encounter with the child. He was caught before ever meeting the child, according to Tendy.

Gomez will be sentenced in November to three years in prison, followed by five years of post release supervision, and he will be registered as a sex offender.

"There are predators lurking online, grooming young children in an attempt to engage in sexual activity with them or to threaten them into sending sexually explicit videos," said Special Victims Chief Prosecutor Chana Krauss, who prosecuted the case, in a warning to parents. "It's better to have your son or daughter mad at you for being overprotective than risking the dangers sexual predators pose to your kids."