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Christopher Nunez, age 27, of Florida, received the maximum sentence allowed Tuesday, July 12, after previously pleading guilty to third-degree rape, a felony.
Nunez admitted to traveling from his home in Miami to North Salem in May 2021 to engage in sexual activity with the teen, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
He had spent three months chatting with the teen online and eventually persuaded the victim to meet him, prosecutors said.
New York State Police arrested Nunez not long after the incident, sparking an investigation by the Special Prosecutions Division of the Westchester County DA’s office.
The case was eventually referred to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York once investigators learned that Nunez had engaged in similar conduct with at least two minors in Kentucky and New Jersey.
Nunez was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to those allegations on July 5, 2022. His federal sentence will run concurrently to his sentence in New York.
Once he’s released from prison, Nunez will have to register as a sex offender.
“This case is another stark reminder of the dangers of online sexual predators who manipulate minors,” said Westchester County DA Miriam Rocah.
“Our office is available to help parents and families better protect minors from predatory online dangers, and will hold accountable to the fullest extent of the law those who prey on children.”
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