Waterbury sentences ‘hands-on sexual predator’ to 37 years in prison again

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — A Waterbury man described by a U.S. attorney as a “criminal child sexual abuser” will be sentenced to more than 37 years in prison, according to an announcement Tuesday.

Jesus Maldonado was previously convicted three times of sexually assaulting minors. He impregnated a child and went to another state to sexually assault them, according to authorities. He also failed to register as a sex offender.

“This defendant’s long and sordid history reflects his continued determination to prey on and sexually assault underage victims, causing permanent damage to their lives,” United States Attorney Zachary Cunha said in his written notice. “That ends today. With this sentence, we have ensured that the public and future victims will be protected from Mr. Maldonado’s depredations for decades to come.”

Malonado sent explicit messages to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but was actually a Rhode Island detective with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. In March 2019, he started talking to the detective online and said he wanted to marry her, wrote graphic sexually explicit messages to her and sent her obscene images.

He pleaded guilty in June 2023 to the latest charges: attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, attempting to transmit obscene material to a minor, and committing those crimes requiring registration as a sex offender.

He will remain in prison for 447 months. After his release, he will spend the rest of his life on federal probation.

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