Jail Cell

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A Connecticut man who police say had thousands of images of child sexual abuse material in his home now faces a lengthy criminal sentence after a prior conviction for the same offense, authorities said.

Rudolph Girdhari, 36, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography this week after waiving his right to be indicted, the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut said.

During an investigation in May 2024, agents tied an email to Girdhari that “was being used to access two child pornography trading networks on Wickr.” The FBI said its investigation focused on people trading child sex abuse images and videos on the encrypted app in 2022 and 2023.

Girdhari has a prior conviction in state court. He was convicted in 2012 of possession of child pornography in the second degree and received a 10-year sentence, which was suspended after two years, the prosecutor said. He was still serving 20 years of probation when he was arrested last year.

During a search of his Norwalk home, investigators found thousands of images and videos showing children being sexually abused. The files were stored on phones, tablets, computers, hard drives, and thumb drives, the prosecutor said.

Girdhari has been in custody since May 16, 2024. Officials said he was arrested that day for violating his state probation.

A judge will sentence Girdhari in February 2026. He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, according to federal guidelines.