Ex-Cop Handed Decades-Long Punishment After Using His Badge to Coerce Young Boys

A New York City policeman was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday after he sexually exploited four teenage boys.

While employed by the New York City Police Department, Christopher Terranova used his officer status to coerce three 15-years-olds and one 12-year-old into egregious sexual acts, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Kiyo Matsumoto, the Brooklyn federal judge who sentenced Terranova, said the victims “lost their innocence and their sense of safety,” and that “his conduct has eroded the public’s trust in law enforcement,” the New York Post reported.

Terranova, 35, was a 12-year veteran with the NYPD, but the sexual misconduct he was convicted of occurred between 2019 and 2023, according to the news release.

“Mr. Terranova, through his actions, has dishonored the badge that he once wore,” Matsumoto said.

In 2023, Terranova began targeting a 15-year-old he’d met at the 121st Precinct on Staten Island. The boy had reported to the officer that he’d just been robbed.

Terranova later acquired the boy’s cell phone number from the robbery complaint and texted him.

Former NYPD cop Christopher Terranova gets 40 years for sexually exploiting four children https://t.co/qqH1JG09id

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 17, 2025

“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,” the text read.

The two texted back and forth before Terranova encouraged the boy to connect with him on Snapchat and Instagram, where the officer began asking sexual questions.

Terranova then sent the boy a photograph of his genitals and asked for the same in return, but the boy told his mother, who reported it to police.

A similar situation occurred with the 12-year-old he exploited.

With two of his 15-year-old victims, Terranova committed hands-on sexual misconduct, the details of which can be found in the U.S. Attorney’s Office news release.

He filed for retirement in 2023, after he was suspended without pay, and in November 2024 he was convicted of six counts of sexually exploiting, attempting to sexually exploit, enticing and coercing his four victims, according to the New York Post.

In court, a tearful Terranova said he struggled with his homosexuality.

“I want to apologize for being in this courtroom… I’m ashamed of myself and that I let alcohol get the best of me,” Terranova said, according to the New York Post.

“I understand that no words can capture the guilt and shame that I feel. I can’t deny the gravity of my actions,” he said.

Terranova’s defense attorney pushed for only 15 years, but ultimately Judge Matsumoto sentenced him to 40 years in prison.

“Many people struggle with their sexuality, but don’t engage in the kind of perversions that Mr. Terranova did,” Matsumoto said.

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