A 33-year-old Queens man has been indicted on federal charges after prosecutors say he spent months posing online as a 16-year-old boy named Chris to groom a 13-year-old Massachusetts girl, then flew to Boston to meet her in person. Andre Jamal Bennett, who worked as a Delta Air Lines ground controller at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to The Boston Globe, remains in federal custody as the case moves through court.
According to the Boston Globe, prosecutors say Bennett created multiple social media accounts in September 2025 under the fake identity, including two Instagram accounts and one Snapchat account, to contact the girl while pretending to be a teenage boy. A federal grand jury has since indicted him on one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, a charge announced by the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors allege that in November 2025, Bennett flew from New York City to Boston and coerced the girl into meeting him in person, even sending an Uber to pick her up from her home.
Online Contact Before the Meeting
Bennett allegedly first contacted the girl through social media while posing as a teenage boy, before the two met in person.
The allegations remain unproven at this stage of the case. Bennett was arrested and charged in August 2026, as reported by MassLive.
Detention Motion Still Pending
Bennett's lawyer argued at a Sept. 22 hearing that he should be released on bond while the case proceeds, but a magistrate judge took the government's motion for his continued detention under advisement rather than ruling immediately.
If convicted, Bennett faces 15 to 60 years in prison, five years to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000, as noted by MassLive.
