Shelton Attorney Arrested on Federal Child Pornography Charges: U.S. Attorney

SHELTON, CT — Peter Kruzinski, a Shelton attorney accused by police of multiple counts of sexual assault against a minor, has been arrested by federal authorities who charged him with production and possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly.

According to the criminal complaint, Kruzinski, 50, "repeatedly engaged in sexual acts with a male victim beginning in 2009, when the victim was 12 years old, and continuing until August 2016, when the victim was 18 years old."

Kruzinski is alleged to have also used his Apple iPhone "to take photographs of the victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The victim was a minor at the time the photographs were taken." Kruzinski is accused of threatening to send the photographs to others if the victim did not continue to see him.

He appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joan G. Margolis in New Haven and was released on a $250,000 bond and fitted with an electronic monitoring device.

Kruzinski was arrested by Shelton police on August 30 on related state charges.

If convicted of the production of child pornography charge, Kruzinski "faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years," according to Daly. She stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Shelton Police Department, and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

This prosecution is part of 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, visit www.cybertipline.com.

Photo: Peter Kruzinski. Photo credit: Shelton Police Department