Bus Driver Enticed Teen In Wallingford, Planned Her Murder: Feds

WALLINGFORD, CT — A former bus driver has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for trying to sexually entice a 13-year-old girl who was a passenger on his route in Wallingford, according to authorities.

Jose Manuel Santos, 38, of Bridgeport, was also accused of planning to have the victim killed to prevent her from testifying against him, authorities said.

Santos was also sentenced Wednesday to seven years of supervised release following the prison term, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John H. Durham announced.

Santos worked for Curtin Livery as a bus/van driver in Connecticut with responsibilities that included transporting children going to and from a middle school in Wallingford, according to authorities.

“In October 2018, law enforcement received information that Santos was sexually soliciting a 13-year-old girl who was a passenger on his route,” officials wrote in a news release. “Analysis of the minor victim’s cell phone records revealed more than 200 text messages or calls between Santos and the victim, a sexually explicit photo of Santos that Santos sent to the minor victim, and multiple messages in which Santos coerced the victim to send him a sexually explicit photo of her.”

Santos has been detained since his arrest on Nov. 2, 2018, according to officials.

“In the fall of 2019, while Santos was in federal custody and awaiting trial, Santos engaged an individual and, subsequently, an undercover law enforcement officer, to have the 13-year-old victim murdered to prevent her from testifying against him,” officials said. “In a phone call on December 2, 2019, the undercover officer told Santos that the victim had been murdered. Immediately after receiving the information, Santos asked the undercover officer to begin collecting background information on an Assistant U.S. Attorney who was prosecuting Santos’ case.”

Santos pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, 2020 to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Officials said Santos’ criminal history includes convictions for reckless endangerment, assault and larceny offenses. In 2003, he was convicted of offenses related to his “running from police, stealing a police cruiser, striking the officer with the car door when the officer attempted to stop him, and dragging the officer as Santos sped off in the stolen cruiser,” according to officials.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit here.

To report cases of child exploitation, visit here.