Former NYPD youth outreach officer sentenced to 40 years for sex abuse of minors

A former NYPD youth outreach officer who bought a house in Texas near a minor he was sexually abusing was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison.

The ex-officer, Staten Island native Christopher Terranova, 35, was found guilty of sexual exploitation and coercion of minors, among other crimes.

Terranova solicited photos from a 15-year-old boy who had reported a robbery at the 121st Precinct where the officer worked. The victim told his mother about the explicit messages from Terranova, leading authorities to crack the case.

“The significant sentence the court imposed is a just outcome for the defendant’s abuse of his position as a police officer to groom and manipulate young boys, gain their trust, then sexually abuse and exploit them,” U.S. Attorney for New York's Eastern District Joseph Nocella said in a press release.

A trial last November detailed Terranova’s abuse, both in-person and through social media. Terranova met a 15-year-old living in Texas through social media in 2019. Terranova traveled to Texas at least 16 times, often engaging in sexual acts with the victim. Terranova even bought a house “just down the street” from the victim’s home, according to prosecutors.

The officer abused another 15-year-old on the side of the road while driving him home from a friend’s 16th birthday party in 2022. Court papers did not disclose the location, but said the victim was the son of an acquaintance of Terranova.

Terranova also solicited lewd photos from a 12-year-old, whom he met while on duty.

Text messages introduced as evidence showed that Terranova used his authority as a police officer to try to gain the trust of his fourth victim, the 15-year-old reporting a robbery.

“Hey… it’s Chris Terranova the cop you met at the 121 that day with mom, i just wanted to reach out to see if you were doing ok after the incident, I hate seeing these things happen to good Guys like yourself,” Terranova texted.

“if you ever want to talk[.] I been through a lot myself over the years so just know that little bro,” the ex-cop wrote.

At the time, Terranova was serving as a youth coordinator officer at Staten Island’s 121st Precinct. The job involved informing minors about the potential perils of online communications, as well as connecting them with social services in the hopes of preventing crimes before they occur.

Terranova was arrested and retired as a police officer in late 2023.

“The defendant’s conduct and particularly his use of his role as a police officer to access and victimize children, deeply undermines the public’s trust in the integrity of its law enforcement officers at a time in which the public’s confidence in the police is particularly vulnerable,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

A psychiatrist hired by Terranova’s defense wrote that he characterized his communications with his victims as “attempt[s] to help them with their sexual identity.”

Prosecutors credited victims for coming forward.

“I hope that… I will be able to rest easy and finally get it out of my head for good because I don’t want to think about what he did ever again and have it haunt me for the rest of my life,” one victim wrote to the court.

Terranova's defense attorney, Vinoo Varghese, wrote in papers that Terranova was an alcoholic who suffered abuse as a child.

Varghese called the 40-year sentence “excessive” and vowed to appeal.

“Chris helped hundreds of people when he was a cop, and he can still be a productive member of society — he deserves a chance at redemption,” Varghese wrote.