A federal jury in Newport News, Virginia, has convicted Anthony George Ruggiero, 42, of Gloucester on charges related to the sexual abuse and exploitation of a foreign exchange student and the receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Court records and trial evidence showed that Ruggiero and his family hosted a foreign exchange student at their home in 2021. After returning to her home country in 2022, the student reported to medical professionals that she had been sexually abused by Ruggiero between 2021 and 2022.
The investigation revealed that Ruggiero communicated with the student through social media, sending sexually explicit messages while she was 15 and 16 years old. These conversations continued after she returned to her home country. According to court findings, “Ruggiero asked her for sexually explicit photos, offered her sexually explicit photos, and engaged in sexually explicit conversations both reminiscent of past sexual encounters and fantasies of future encounters.”
Additionally, Ruggiero was found guilty of receiving five videos containing CSAM involving an identified victim from Texas.
Ruggiero faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of life when he is sentenced on March 18, 2026. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other statutory factors.
Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, stated: “Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the verdict.”
The investigation received support from multiple agencies including Spain’s Family and Women Assistance Unit within its National Police force as well as police from Grand Prairie, Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devon E.A. Heath and Peter G. Osyf are prosecuting this case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at fighting child sexual exploitation through collaboration among federal prosecutors as well as state and local authorities nationwide (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
Further information about this case can be found on the website for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or by searching Case No. 4:24-cr-29 on PACER or via related court documents on the website for the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
