Christopher Terranova, a former Staten Island officer, allegedly targeted teenage boys on Snapchat, including one he met while responding to a robbery report.
Former New York City Police Officer Convicted of Sex Offenses Involving Underage Boys
A former New York City police officer, Christopher Terranova, has been found guilty of sex offenses involving four underage boys. The 34-year-old Staten Island resident was convicted on all six counts of sexually exploiting, attempting to sexually exploit, enticing, and coercing three 15-year-old boys and a 12-year-old boy. The crimes involved engaging in “hands-on sex acts” with two of the victims.
Terranova, who retired in September 2023 while under suspension from the department, used his position as a police officer to gain the trust of his victims and then exploited them to satisfy his sexual desires. The offenses occurred over Snapchat, where Terranova sent explicit photos to one of the victims and requested similar images in return.
The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, condemned Terranova’s actions as a despicable abuse of power. The former officer now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, with the possibility of a life sentence.
Terranova’s lawyer, Vinoo Varghese, expressed disappointment with the verdict and announced plans to appeal the decision. Varghese criticized the federal prosecution, arguing that the case should have been handled at the local level and claiming that Terranova was unfairly targeted due to his previous law enforcement career.
Source: The NY Times
