26 Years In Prison For Man Who Lured Child In Westchester For Sex: DOJ

NORTH SALEM, NY — A Florida man who enticed underage victims in New York, Kentucky and New Jersey for sex will spend decades behind bars.

Christopher Nunez was sentenced to 320 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas for enticement of three minors to engage in sexual activity, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced on Tuesday. The sentencing followed Nunez's guilty plea on February 28.

"Christopher Nunez’s conduct is the nightmare of any parent," Williams said. "Today’s sentencing illustrates that we will continue to use every tool available to law enforcement to prosecute and punish those who sexually exploit children."

From March of 2021 to May of 2021, Nunez communicated online with a 15-year-old minor, identified only as “Victim-1” and persuaded Victim-1 to meet him in person to engage in sexual activities. Nunez twice traveled to New York from Miami, Florida to meet with Victim-1 in Westchester County to engage in sexual activity with her.

On May 2, 2021, Nunez was charged in North Salem with rape in the third degree and endangering the welfare of a child. On October 5, 2021, he pled guilty to rape in the third degree.

The federal investigation revealed that prior to Nunez’s abuse of Victim-1, he abused a 12-year-old girl, identified only as “Victim-2” in Laurel County, Kentucky. Nunez engaged in sexually explicit communications online with Victim-2 beginning on January 1, 2021, when she was in 6th grade and 11 years old. During these communications, Nunez persuaded Victim-2 to engage in sexually explicit activity, capture this activity in images and videos, and then transmit the photos and videos to him. On March 6, 2021, Nunez traveled from his home in Florida to Laurel County, Kentucky, where he met Victim-2 in person and engaged in sexual activity with her.

The federal investigation also revealed that, in May and June of 2021, Nunez engaged in sexually explicit communications online with “Victim-3," a 16-year-old in New Jersey. During these communications, Nunez persuaded Victim-3 to engage in sexually explicit activity, capture the activity in images and videos, and transmit the images and videos to him.

On February 28, 2022, Nunez entered a guilty plea to a four-count federal Information, charging him with three counts of enticement, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b) and one count of sexual exploitation, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a).

In addition to the prison term, Nunez, 27, was sentenced to a lifetime term of supervised release.

Williams praised the efforts of the FBI, the New York State Police, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of special agents and task force officers from the FBI, U.S. Probation, the New York State Police,the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the Westchester County DA's Office, the Rockland County DAs Office, the NYPD, Westchester County PD, and the Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Greenburgh, White Plains, Peekskill, Ramapo, and Clarkstown Police Departments.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney Marcia Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.