Former school employee receives prison sentence for coercing 11-year-old into sexual activity

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A former school employee in Connecticut has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for coercing an 11-year-old boy into sexual activity.

Alyson Cranick, 44, learned her fate Thursday in court in Bridgeport.

According to David Sullivan, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, Cranick was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

Court documents state that Cranick used text messaging, followed by the Snapchat and Discord apps, to coerce the boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct with her.

Sullivan said several times during the summer and into the fall of 2022, Cranick convinced the minor victim to leave his house after midnight to meet up with her.

“Cranick sexually assaulted the minor victim during these meetings,” Sullivan said.

Between July and October 2022, Cranick exchanged more than 4,700 messages with the minor victim on Discord, Sullivan reported.

Cranick was arrested on related state charges on Nov. 14, 2023, and has been detained since Nov. 28, 2023. She was federally charged in July 2024.

On Nov. 18, 2025, she pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

According to school officials, Cranick was a paraprofessional in the Columbia School District and later an administrative assistant at E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield.