NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – An ex-NYPD officer from Staten Island was hit with federal sex abuse charges that allege he used his position as a cop to gain access to and exploit underage boys, the Department of Justice said.
A four-count indictment naming Christopher Terranova, 33, was unsealed Thursday and charges the defendant with attempting to exploit children and coercion and enticement of a minor, according to the DOJ.
This indictment follows a May 23 arrest that charged Terranova with sending indecent material to a minor and endangering the welfare of a child. He was re-arrested on similar charges on July 18.
Prosecutors said that Terranova has not yet been indicted by the state in light of the federal prosecution underway.
As alleged in the indictment and other court documents, Terranova used social media applications, like Snapchat, to partake in sexually explicit conversations with underage boys and attempt to solicit nude pictures from them.
Between March 2023 and May 2023, Terranova allegedly targeted a 15-year-old boy who was the victim of a robbery.
The DOJ said that the defendant used the NYPD database to find the victim’s phone number, and messaged him under the pretense of checking on his well-being in the aftermath of the crime.
“it’s Chris Terranova the cop you met at the 121 [Precinct] that day with mom , i just wanted to reach out to see if you were doing ok after the incident, I hate seeing these things happen to good Guys like yourself,” the initial message read.
Terranova then connected with the 15-year-old on social media, where he tried to have conversations with the boy about masturbation, pornography and sex, the DOJ said.
The defendant attempted to gain the boy’s trust by referring to them as brothers and saying that they had “trust about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING.” He used this trust to pressure the boy into sending explicit photos.
“Can I show you quick before bed? Just one[.] It will be fun and brotherly,” Terranova allegedly wrote before sending a nude photo of himself.
He then allegedly tried to pressure the 15-year-old into reciprocating by writing “See it’s nothing[.] Your turn[.]”
These circumstances are similar to the defendant’s alleged relationship with a 12-year-old boy between September 2022 and April 2023, according to prosecutors.
After meeting the boy through his work as a police officer, Terranova allegedly connected with the child on social media and attempted to engage the 12-year-old in sexual conversations about masturbation and the boy’s genitals, encouraging him to send photos, the DOJ said.
Terranova allegedly sent the boy a photo of himself in his underwear.
The first victim noted in the indictment was a family friend of the defendant and Terranova’s misconduct allegedly occurred between February 2022 and October 2022.
Terranova allegedly connected with the 15-year-old via social media and engaged in sexual conversations, including sending explicit photos and attempting to solicit them from the child, the DOJ said.
Officials said that in May 2022, Terranova offered to drive the 15-year-old home from a friend’s house. He instead drove the child to a wooded area where he made the boy undress and forced him to engage in sex acts.
“The defendant allegedly preyed upon vulnerable youth in the same community he was sworn to protect,” United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said. “Protecting minors from those who violate their position of trust will always be a priority of this Office. I urge parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers and individuals who seek to exploit them.”
Searches were conducted on Terranova’s social media accounts, devices and home and indicate that there are other potential victims, prosecutors said.
When authorities searched Terranova’s home on May 23, police found a safe containing photographs of a minor labeled with his name.
The safe also included what prosecutors called “grooming notes” that indicated the potential victim’s likes, dislikes, religion and family information.
A further search into the matter reveled messages on the defendant’s phone with the minor that indicate they met in person and “experimented,” based on messages referencing “what [they] do in bed.” The defendant’s phone also included photos of him with the minor.
This potential victim “is just one of several other apparent victims, based on searches of the defendant’s phone and social media account,” the DOJ said.
“The damage done by Terranova’s alleged depravity will likely outlast any punishment he ultimately receives. The FBI is dedicated to doing the work to restore public faith in law enforcement when individuals attempt to use the badge to hide their illegal behavior,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge James Smith said.