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Litchfield County resident Christopher Jesus Constanzo, age 19, of Torrington, was arrested on Tuesday, Dec. 7, said Leonard C Boyle, Acting US Attorney of the District of Connecticut.
As alleged in court documents, on Thursday, Dec. 2, Constanzo and a minor female arrived by car at the US Port of Entry at Highgate Springs in Vermont.
Just prior to their arrival, officials at the St-Armand/Philipsburg Border Crossing in Canada had refused Constanzo and the minor victim entry into Canada, court documents show.
After US Customs and Border Protection officers separated Constanzo from the minor victim, the victim reported that she met Constanzo the night before at Stillwater Pond State Park in Torrington. Constanzo then allegedly sexually assaulted the minor victim, forced her into the trunk of her car, restrained her with a shoelace, and then began driving, officials said.
At some point during the night, Constanzo removed the minor victim from the trunk and sexually assaulted her again. As they neared the Canadian border, Constanzo has the minor victim sit in the front passenger seat of the car.
Constanzo instructed her to “act normal” and “go along with the story.” Constanzo then told Canadian Border Services Agency officials that the minor victim was his sister and they intended to go into Canada for four days to visit friends, court documents said.
However, due to their lack of COVID-19 tests, Constanzo and the minor victim were denied entry into Canada.
The complaint alleges that Constanzo is the subject of a pending sexual assault investigation in Connecticut for another incident that occurred earlier this year, officials said.
Constanzo was charged with kidnapping, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 25 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
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