STAMFORD, CT — A Stamford man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to a child exploitation offense, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David X. Sullivan.
Rick Marro, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to receipt and distribution of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum term of 20 years.
Dooley scheduled sentencing for Jan. 6, 2027.
According to court documents and statements made in court, authorities began investigating Marro in August 2023 after a 16-year-old male victim reported that he had been sexually exploited by Marro, Sullivan said.
The victim reported that he met Marro on a dating app and they began communicating on Snapchat in April 2023, according to Sullivan.
The victim said they met in person at Marro's house on multiple occasions, and two of the meetings were sexual in nature, Sullivan said.
The victim reported that Marro gave him "poppers," that Marro was "into" asphyxiation, and, on one occasion, Marro strangled him and he passed out "for a minute or two," Sullivan said.
The Food & Drug Administration notes "poppers" are products that contain certain chemicals that, when breathed in, cause a high effect.
A review of the victim's Snapchat account showed that Marro sent him videos that Marro had recorded of them engaged in sexual activity, and he also sent the victim a video depicting Marro choking him, Sullivan said.
Law enforcement seized Marro's phone and located the same videos that he recorded and sent the victim showing them engaged in sexual activity, Sullivan said.
"They also located text messages that Marro had sent to another individual in which Marro stated that he 'choked [the victim] all the way to unconscious today by accident,'" Sullivan said.
Marro was originally arrested on a criminal complaint on Jan. 18, 2024, and he has been detained since.
Marro has been detained since his arrest.
The case is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which officials say is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please click here. To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.
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