Massachusetts Man Sent To Jail For Trying To Meet Girl For Sex

CONCORD, NH — A Massachusetts man was sentenced to nearly three years in jail for attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with a girl in New Hampshire who was actually a police detective.

Keith Colantonio, 39, of Milford, MA, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison on Monday. Back in May 2019, he began communicating with a police detective, working with New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, who was posing as a girl. Evidence in court showed the social media communications between Colantonio and a girl he thought was 14 were “sexually charged.”

On May 23, 2019, he traveled from the Bay State to Nashua to meet the girl and when he arrived at the location, was arrested by police.

Colantonio pleaded guilty to the charges in March.

Colantonio was one of 12 men initially arrested as part of Operation Cyber Guardian. Several other men were arrested later, too.

Acting-U.S. Attorney John Farley thanked the team for their “good criminal investigative work” that led to the conviction.

“Dangerous predators lurk on the internet seeking to manipulate and sexually exploit young children,” he said. “This defendant was unable to fulfill his unlawful goal of having sex with a young girl. As this case demonstrates, we work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the criminals who threaten the wellbeing of children in the Granite State.”

Matthew Millhollin, the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, also thanked the task force for their work.

“We’re very satisfied with today’s sentence for this child sex predator who posed a clear threat to our communities based on his actions in this investigation,” he said. “Colantonio would likely have continued to victimize others were it not for the tireless work of our partners in the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. We also appreciate the continuing commitment of the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire in seeking justice for the victims of child predators in our region.”

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