Crime & Safety

Child Pornography Lands Newtown Man 20 Years in Federal Prison

According to court documents, David Csanadi sexually abused three girls, including one who was 18 months old, and videotaped the acts. He still awaits sentencing in state court.

[The following report is based on a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.]

A 36-year-old Newtown man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison today for producing child pornography.

Following the 20 years (240 months), David Csanadi's sentence includes 15 years of supervised release. Csanada was sentenced by United States District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven, states the press release issued by David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2006 and 2007, Csanadi sexually abused three female children, videotaped the abuse and maintained the tapes at his home in Newtown. All three children were prepubescent minors under the age of 12 at the time of the abuse. One child was approximately 18 months old at the time.        

In addition to filming and maintaining video tapes of the sexual abuse, court documents state that Csanadi downloaded from the Internet and obtained other images and videos of child pornography on his home computer.        

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“Working with the FBI, the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force and our other law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting children from sexual exploitation and removing sexual predators from the community,” Fein said. “I commend the Newtown and Monroe Police Departments for their investigative efforts, and the Danbury State’s Attorney’s Office for the critical assistance it has provided to the investigation and prosecution of this heinous but important case.”

“The sexual abuse of children and production of child pornography are detestable crimes, and the harsh reality of it all is that those who commit these unspeakable crimes live and work among us,” stated Special Agent in Charge Mertz. “The Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force’s devotion to identifying those who commit these monstrous crimes and to bringing them to justice remains, and always will remain, resolute.”        

Csanadi has been detained since April 15, 2011, when he was arrested and charged with multiple state child sexual exploitation offenses.

On Nov. 2, 2012, Csanadi pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of production of child pornography — the charge for which he was sentenced today. 

In January 2013, Csanadi pleaded guilty in state court to the charges of sexual first-degree sexual assault, illegal sexual contact with a minor and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced in state court next month.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, and the Newtown and Monroe police departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Neeraj Patel and Krishna Patel.

The Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which is housed at the main FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes against children occurring over the Internet, and provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. For more information about the Task Force, or to report child exploitation crimes, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.


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