A Bronx man, Anthony Wallace, has been convicted on multiple charges involving the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a minor. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that the jury reached a guilty verdict after a week-long trial before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil. Wallace's crimes include kidnapping a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sex, transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sex, and possession and production of child pornography.
The evidence presented at trial detailed the harrowing ordeal faced by a 15-year-old girl who fell victim to Wallace's abuses in March 2024. "Anthony Wallace used lies, threats, and violence to sexually abuse a 15-year-old minor victim over the course of a month," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Initially, the victim was held against her will in Binghamton, New York, where she was assaulted and forced into altering her appearance. Wallace also introduced her to a dangerous stream of drugs.
The abuse did not cease when Wallace transported the minor from Binghamton to an apartment in the Bronx. Here, she was kept in a barricaded space and endured continued assaults. The charges against Wallace were serious, with sentences ranging from mandatory minimums of 10 to 20 years in prison to potential life imprisonment for the kidnapping and sexual offense charges. As for the child pornography charges, they carry a maximum sentence of 10 years for possession and a mandatory minimum of 15 years, up to 30 years, for production.
On April 4, 2024, the minor escaped from the Bronx apartment through a window while Wallace was asleep. She immediately called 911 and was safely returned to her parents. Wallace will be sentenced on April 23, 2026, with penalties set by federal law.
The investigation involved the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York City Police Department, and the Broome County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariana L. Bloom, Remy Grosbard, Joseph H. Rosenberg, and Alexandra N. Rothman, with support from Paralegal Specialists Samantha Roberts and Benjamin Coolman.
