Cheektowaga Man Sentenced for Enticement of a Minor

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Salvatore Tantillo, II, 32, of Cheektowaga, New York, who was convicted of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated that the defendant met a 16-year-old over the Internet. Tantillo misrepresented his age to the victim, advising her that he was 18 years old. After communicating with the victim over the Internet for a few months, the defendant met the girl in person for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. It is a violation of New York State Penal Law for a person who is 21 years or older to engage in sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years old.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 sentencing is the culmination of a joint investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; members of the Cheektowaga Police Department under the direction of Chief David Zack; and Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gerald Gill.