Federal judge gives Manalapan man 10 years in prison for enticing minor online
NEWARK−A 30-year-old Manalapan man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Tuesday for using online chat apps to entice a child online, authorities said.
Angelo N. Curato pleaded guilty by videoconference on July 18 before U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti to one count of online enticement of a minor.
Curato admitted to using online chat apps from February 2017 through June 2017 to misrepresent his identity and entice or coerce an adolescent to engage in sexual activity knowing that the victim was under 18, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
According to an affidavit to the complaint, Curato passed himself off as a 17-year-old girl on Skype and other apps to entice dozens of minor males to engage in sexual acts on video and send him nude pictures. He admitted to the allegations while first being interviewed by federal agents, according to the affidavit.
Investigators found on his laptop child pornography and hundreds of sexually explicit texts between Curato and the minor male victims, authorities said.
The victim in the crime that Curato pleaded guilty to was a 13-year-old New Jersey boy, authorities said.
Curato originally faced a 10-year minimum sentence to life in prison.
Ken Serrano covers crime, breaking news and investigations. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or at kserrano@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Child enticement: Manalapan man imprisoned for coercing child online
