Tolland County Woman Accused Of Extensive Sexual Activity With Minor Enters Plea In Federal Case

COLUMBIA, CT — A woman from Columbia who is accused of coercing a young boy to engage in "sexual activity" has entered a plea in her federal case.

She is also facing state sexual assault charges.

David X. Sullivan, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Alyson Cranick, 44, of Columbia, entered a guilty plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to "coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity."

According to court documents and statements made in court, Cranick, first using text messaging and Snapchat, and then using the internet chat service Discord, coerced an 11-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct with her. Several times during the summer and into the fall of 2022, Cranick "induced" the boy to leave his house after midnight to meet up with her, according to case records.

Cranick "sexually assaulted" the boy during the encounters, according to case records.

Between July and October 2022, Cranick exchanged more than 4,700 messages with the boy on Discord, according to case records.

On Nov. 28, 2023, Cranick was arrested on state charges that include two counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of illegal sexual contact, Connecticut judicial system records show. She has been detained since Nov. 28, 2023 on a $750,000 bond, records show. She is due back in Rockville Superior Court on Dec. 19, records show.

She was federally charged in July 2024.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for Feb. 12. Cranick faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum life sentence, Sullivan said.

The case was investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force and the Connecticut State Police’s Eastern District Major Crime Unit. The FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.