Former CT school employee now faces federal charges for allegedly sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl – NBC Connecticut

The federal government has now joined state authorities in bringing charges against a former Connecticut school employee on charges of sexually abusing a child in Columbia two years ago.

Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Connecticut State Police and FBI announced Tuesday that Alyson Cranick, 43, of Columbia, has been charged in federal court with allegedly luring an 11-year-old boy into sexual activity with her in 2022.

Authorities said the boy – with whom Cranick allegedly exchanged more than 4,700 Discord messages over a four-month period – repeatedly sneaked out of his house after midnight to engage in sexually explicit behavior with Cranick.

In November 2023, state police charged Cranick – who authorities said made the boy a bracelet with the acronym “BFFLWB” (Best Friends for Life With Benefits) – with sexual assault, endangering a child and damaging the morals of children.

Cranick was released on the condition that she not have unsupervised contact with minors, but she was arrested again later that month for violating the conditions of her release after sending Snapchat messages to a 13-year-old girl, according to investigators.

According to police, Cranick told investigators she believed she was communicating with her relative and not with the 13-year-old.

Cranick, who has been in state custody since November 2023, is scheduled to appear in federal court in New Haven at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

If convicted of seducing minors to engage in sexual acts, the sentence is between ten years and life imprisonment.