DOJ Charges Westchester Man With Sexual Expoloitation Of A Minor

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A New Rochelle man is facing federal charges that he used social media to groom and sexually exploit a teen.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on Friday the unsealing of a complaint charging 31-year-old Charudet Smith with sexual exploitation of a minor. He was arrested on Thursday and presented Friday afternoon in White Plains federal court.

"Charudet Smith allegedly constructed an elaborate web of lies and fabricated multiple identities in order to gain the trust of an unsuspecting minor," Williams said. "Today’s arrest underscores the urgent need to protect children from the dangers posed by predators who use social media to prey on children both online and in person."

The charge carries a mandatory sentence of 15-30 years in prison.

According to court documents, from December 21, 2019, until February 13, 2020, Smith impersonated various people and created and used a series of Instagram accounts, emails, and phone numbers in order to trick a 17-year-old into creating and sending sexually explicit videos and photos to him, and agreeing to meet him to engage in sexual activity in Seattle, Washington.

Smith pretended to be an established freelance photographer for a well-known international camera company and told the victim, an aspiring photographer, that he had contacts within the media industry and could act as the victim's mentor, according to investigators. He then posed as multiple employees of the company to supposedly offer the victim a position in a sought-after youth professional development program, prosecutors said. However, Smith was never an employee of the camera company and had never been paid by the company for any services or any employment.

Anyone who may have encountered Charudet Smith, a/k/a "Charles Smith," or whose child may have communicated with him is being urged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

Williams praised the efforts of the FBI, the Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, the Sherriff’s Office in Washington, Vermont, the Massachusetts State Police, the New Rochelle Police Department, and the Westchester County Police Department in connection with this investigation.