A Bronx man who posed as a teen online to prey on underage girls has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden handed down the punishment in Manhattan on Friday and ordered that he remain under supervision for another 20 years after his release. Prosecutors said the defendant not only collected child sexual abuse material on his devices but also met at least one of the girls in person.
In a press release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said Winston Colon Correa, 34, of the Bronx, received a 300‑month prison term followed by 20 years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney's Office officials quoted U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton as saying, "The message to predators from our Office is clear: there is no place for you in New York other than prison." The office credited the FBI and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department with cracking the case and noted that Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Kinder led the prosecution.
How prosecutors say he operated
According to the criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, Colon Correa began reaching out to girls online in 2022, sometimes pretending to be a 17‑year‑old named "John" to win their trust. The filing from the U.S. Attorney's Office says investigators uncovered sexually explicit conversations with more than a dozen suspected minors and roughly 20 files believed to contain child pornography on a phone seized in a February 2024 search. On at least two occasions, prosecutors say, he met one of the victims in person, pressured her to have sex, and recorded the encounters for himself.
Sentence and charges
Colon Correa pleaded guilty before Judge Rearden and received a 300‑month federal prison sentence followed by 20 years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Both the press release and the complaint list charges that include enticement and sexual exploitation of a minor, along with possession and receipt of child pornography, offenses that carry stiff mandatory minimums under federal law. The case was prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit and handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Kinder, the release said.
Local reporting and next steps
Local media first spotlighted Colon Correa’s arrest in April 2024, when prosecutors unsealed the complaint accusing him of soliciting explicit images from girls as young as 12 and 14. Norwood News covered the initial federal filings and detailed the FBI’s involvement in the investigation. Authorities continue to urge anyone with information to contact the FBI tip line referenced in the court documents.
