Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Blaise Caroleo was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. Caroleo pleaded guilty to the charge in November 2019.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence.
“Today’s lengthy sentence underscores the commitment of this Office to seeking justice and healing for children who are sexually abused and exploited,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “We will continue to prosecute dangerous online predators like the defendant who victimize vulnerable minors.” Mr. Peace thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and the FBI’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force for their investigative work on the case.
Between approximately January 24, 2016, and October 12, 2016, Caroleo enticed a 14-year-old girl to produce sexually explicit images of herself, and to send these images to him using an Internet application called Kik. The account username for the application on Caroleo’s cell phone was “Nimfeater.” A review of Nimfeater’s Kik account revealed a series of messages in which Caroleo requested sexually explicit photos of Kik users who have been identified as minors, some as young as 12 years old.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas Axelrod and Erin E. Argo.
The Defendant:
BLAISE CAROLEO
Age: 57
Staten Island, NY
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-177 (S-1) (ENV)