Marcos Alex Mendez Torres, 26, of New Haven, has been charged with multiple child exploitation offenses, according to an April 1 announcement by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI.
Authorities allege that Mendez Torres used online platforms and social media to communicate with minors and traveled across state lines to engage in sexual activity with them. The case highlights ongoing concerns about online safety for children and law enforcement efforts to address such crimes.
Court documents state that Mendez Torres used usernames “nozuto” and “demoniodedinero” on various platforms. In 2022, he began communicating with an approximately 11-year-old girl from Pennsylvania via Roblox before continuing contact through Discord and Snapchat between 2022 and 2024. He also allegedly communicated from 2023 onward with a girl in Ohio who was about twelve years old at the time. Authorities say that in March 2024 he traveled to Pennsylvania to meet the now-13-year-old girl for sexual activity before returning briefly to Connecticut and then traveling on to Ohio intending similar conduct with the other minor.
Mendez Torres faces charges including coercion and enticement of a minor—which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment—traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct (maximum thirty years), and transfer of obscene materials to a minor (maximum ten years). He has been detained since June 26 after his arrest by Connecticut State Police on related charges involving another minor.
Sullivan said investigators are seeking additional victims or witnesses: “Victims, witnesses, and anyone with helpful information” are encouraged “to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or contact the FBI online at tips.fbi.gov.” Sullivan also said: “A criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The investigation involves federal, state, and local agencies as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force; Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis L. Beyerlein is prosecuting the case under Project Safe Childhood.
