New York Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Sexually Exploiting Minor Girls Contacted on Social Media

James Pagliaro, 27, of Middletown, New York, was sentenced to 600 months in federal prison on May 11, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport for sexually exploiting minor girls he contacted through social media apps.

The U.S. Department of Justice announcement states Pagliaro initiated contact with the victims on social media and then sexually exploited them. The 50-year term equals the statutory maximum for the charges of sexual exploitation of children. He will also serve a lifetime of supervised release following imprisonment.

The sentence shifts Pagliaro from pretrial status to immediate incarceration in the Federal Bureau of Prisons system. Lifetime supervised release replaces any finite post-release period and imposes permanent restrictions on internet use, proximity to minors, and travel that begin upon his eventual release from prison.

The outcome triggers standard sex-offender registration and notification requirements under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. It also obligates the U.S. Probation Office to monitor Pagliaro for life once he leaves prison and requires the Bureau of Prisons to classify him under its highest security protocols for offenders convicted of crimes against minors.

Federal law bars him from possessing firearms or ammunition permanently. The case forms part of the Justice Department's ongoing enforcement against online enticement and exploitation of minors, which relies on mandatory minimum sentences of 15 to 30 years per count that can be stacked to reach the 50-year total imposed here.

This sentencing follows a string of similar federal cases in the District of Connecticut and nationwide that have produced multi-decade terms for defendants who used social media to target minors. The Department of Justice has pursued such prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. § 2251, which sets the penalties applied in Pagliaro's case.