Wallingford Man Pleads Guilty To Child Exploitation, Drug Charges: Feds

WALLINGFORD, CT — Christopher Liscio, 40, of Wallingford, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Bridgeport federal court to child sexual exploitation and drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced.

Between January 2016 and February 2020, Liscio was accused of using Snapchat to “entice two minor girls to take sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the social media application,” according to a news release.

“The communication with one of the minor victims started when she was approximately 13 years old and continued until she was approximately 16 years old, and the communication with the second minor victim occurred when she was 15 and 16 years old,” officials wrote in the news release. “Liscio also engaged in sexual acts with the second minor victim on multiple occasions when she was 15 and 16 years old.”

Liscio was arrested in February 2020 on state charges related to the sexual assault of a minor. Between February and April 2020, while he was released on bond in his state case, Liscio sold 2,000 30mg oxycodone pills, authorities said.

Liscio has been detained since his federal arrest on May 26, 2021. On that date, a search of his Wallingford residence found approximately 500 grams of cocaine, items used to process and package narcotics, and $22,440 in cash, according to officials.

Liscio pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

At sentencing, Liscio faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, according to officials. A sentencing date hasn’t been scheduled.

The 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, visit here.

To report cases of child exploitation, visit here.