Major Sex Crime Charge Slapped on Man After East Windsor Investigation

EAST WINDSOR, CT ― A joint investigation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and East Windsor police has led to a charge against a man for sex crimes, a leading prosecutor said.

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the district of Connecticut, said Tuesday that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned an indictment charging Alexander Pedraza, 26, of East Hartford, with one count of sex trafficking of a minor.

The indictment was returned on May 24, and was unsealed on May 26 when Pedraza was arrested.

Following his arrest, Pedraza appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, Daly said. Pedraza was ordered detained pending a bond hearing that will be scheduled for later this week, she said.

According to the indictment, Pedraza, "recruited, harbored and transported a minor victim, who was under the age of 18, to engage in commercial sex acts between approximately March 5 and March 12, 2017."

If convicted, Pedraza will face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life imprisonment, Daly said.

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