The federal government has now joined state officials in charging a former Connecticut school employee accused of sexually assaulting a child in Columbia two years ago.
Officials from the Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office, Connecticut State Police and FBI on Tuesday announced that Alyson Cranick, 43, of Columbia, has been charged federally for allegedly enticing an 11-year-old boy to engage in sexual activity with her 2022.
Authorities said the boy — who Cranick reportedly exchanged more than 4,700 Discord messages with over a four-month period — repeatedly sneaked out of his house after midnight to engage in sexually explicit conduct with Cranick.
In November 2023, state police charged Cranick — who authorities said made the boy a bracelet with the acronym "BFFLWB," meaning “Best Friends for Life With Benefits” — with sexual assault, risk of injury to a child and impairing the morals of children.
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Cranick was released on the condition that she could not have unsupervised contact with minors. However, she was then rearrested later that month for violating the terms of her release after investigators said she sent Snapchat messages to a 13-year-old girl.
According to police, Cranick told investigators she believed she was communicating with her relative, not the 13-year-old.
Cranick, who has been in state custody since November 2023, will appear in federal court in New Haven at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
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If convicted, enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity carries a sentence of between 10 years and life in prison.
