Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Sex Abuse Material

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that RUDOLPH GIRDHARI, 36, of Norwalk, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to possession of child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in May 2012, Girdhari was convicted in state court of possession of child pornography in the second degree, and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, execution suspended after two years, and 20 years of probation.  In 2022 and 2023, an FBI investigation of individuals trading child sex abuse images and videos on Wickr, an encrypted communication service, determined that an email address connected to Girdhari was being used to access two child pornography trading networks on Wickr.

On May 2, 2024, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of Girdhari’s residence and seized numerous electronic devices including phones, tablets, computers, hard drives, and thumb drives.  Analysis of the seized devices revealed more than 2,000 images and videos of child sex abuse.

Girdhari has been detained since May 16, 2024, when he was arrested for violating his state probation.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 27, 2026, at which time Girdhari faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  The penalties in this matter are enhanced based on Girdhari’s prior conviction for possession of child pornography.

This matter is being investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Office of Adult Probation and the Norwalk Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.