GLOUCESTER CO., Va. — A Gloucester man was convicted for sexually abusing a foreign exchange student hosted by his family. A subsequent investigation also found him guilty of receiving child sexual abuse material from a victim in Texas.
Anthony George Ruggiero, 42, was convicted on charges of coercion and enticement of a child and receipt of child sexual abuse material.
In 2021, Ruggiero and his family hosted a foreign exchange student. Ruggiero sent sexually explicit messages, asked for and offered explicit photos to the student when she was 15 and 16 years old. The messages continued after she returned home in 2022, according to court documents.
Documents state Ruggiero "engaged in sexually explicit conversations both reminiscent of past sexual encounters and fantasies of future encounters."
The student later disclosed this information to medical professionals, according to court documents.
The court document added that Ruggiero received five child sexual abuse videos from a victim in Texas.
Ruggiero will be sentenced on March 18, 2026; he faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, and a maximum sentence up to life in prison.
