ALBANY – A Vermont man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, federal authorities said.
After a three-day trial in October, a jury voted to convict Thomas Cesiro, 69, of Rutland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The trial evidence established that from Oct. 10 to Oct. 20, 2020, Cesiro exchanged over 1,000 text messages and nine phone calls with Albany-based investigators who were posing as both a 12-year-old girl and the adult mother of the girl, authorities said. During one phone call, Cesiro instructed the girl how to conduct a sexual act.
On Oct. 20, 2020, Cesiro traveled from Rutland to Bennington to meet the purported mother and 12-year-old, and brought with him sex devices and gifts for the child. Cesiro was encountered by police when he arrived at the meeting location and arrested.
U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 10-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.
This case was investigated by the FBI and investigators from the Colonie, Rotterdam and State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. attorneys Rachel Williams and Richard Belliss.