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Connecticut Lawyer Peter Kruzynski Pleads Guilty

Summary: The Shelton, Connecticut lawyer arrested last year for sexually assaulting a child pleaded guilty to federal charges.

The Shelton, Connecticut lawyer arrested last year for abusing a young boy pleaded guilty to the federal charge of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. Peter G. Kruzynski, 51, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven, according to U.S. Attorney John Durham.

Court documents and statements indicate that Kruzynski sent text messages to the 12-year-old boy asking him to come to his home. At Kruzynski’s home, the two engaged in sexual activities. According to the documents, during an incident in December 2014, Kruzynski used his cellphone to take photographs of the child engaging in sexually explicit behavior. The boy was under the age of 16 when the photos were taken.

He was arrested on August 29 by the Shelton police and charged with first-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault, two counts of risk of injury, impairing morals of a minor and coercion. Kruzynski was arrested after the victim filed a complaint, claiming he had been assaulted by the lawyer since 2009 when he was 12. The abuse continued until August 2016.

The victim told the police that Kruzynski took photos of him when he was naked, then forced the victim to continue having sex with him for years or he would ruin the victim by posting the photos on the internet. The victim also alleges that Kruzynski used his position as an attorney to further force him into obliging in the arrangement.

The lawyer was suspended from practicing law on an interim basis. He had his own law practice in Shelton, focusing on divorce and family law.

Kruzynski was arrested on September 16 on a federal criminal complaint. He was originally charged with production and possession of child pornography. He had been kept in custody since October 24 when his bond was revoked for failing to comply with his release conditions. He was also charged with state offenses related to the incident.

The sentencing for Kruzynski was scheduled for March 28. He faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years behind bars and a maximum of life in prison. The FBI and Shelton Police Department worked together to investigate the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel prosecuted the case.

Kruzynski received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law in 1994.

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To learn more about attorneys accused of sexually assaulting a child, read these articles:

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Amanda Griffin: