New York Man Pleads Guilty in Sextortion Case

A 25-year-old man who coerced sexually explicit photos and videos from a minor and distributed them on the Internet pleaded guilty on Oct. 2, to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss of the District of Delaware made the announcement.

Justin R. Gulisano of Newark, New York, was charged on March 10, 2016, and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Leonard P. Stark of the District of Delaware.

According to admissions made in connection with the plea agreement, Gulisano met the victim online when the victim was 15 years old.  Gulisano began requesting and received sexually explicit images and videos from the victim.  Gulisano posted the sexually explicit videos of the victim on a pornography website where they were downloaded, posted, and reposted by other viewers to additional pornographic websites.  When the victim refused to make and send additional images and videos, Gulisano responded by threatening the victim on more than one occasion.  He threatened to post the victim’s images and videos on the Internet again, he threatened to share the images and videos with the victim’s brother, and he threatened the victim’s life.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Delaware Child Predator Task Force investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Robinson of the District of Delaware prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.