Affidavit Details Cop’s Alleged Pressure Tactics In Immigrant Sex Case

A 19-year-old undocumented Honduran immigrant who called the cops for help told police investigators that one of the responding officers gave her tequila, had sex with her, then spent months pressuring her to send him nude photographs and have more sex in exchange for money. 

That same officer, who has subsequently been arrested, was one of five city police officers whom the young woman said she had sexual relationships with during her time in Fair Haven after reaching out to the NHPD for help.

Those details are contained in an arrest warrant affidavit in an ongoing criminal case involving 31-year-old New Haven Police Officer Christopher Troche.

On Nov. 21, Troche was arrested on one misdemeanor count of patronizing a prostitute. The three-year city police veteran has been on paid administrative leave since April, and is slated to appear in state criminal court for a hearing in this case on Friday.

The state court system this week unsealed the 14-page arrest warrant affidavit in Troche’s case.

The document was written and signed by New Haven Police Det. Kealyn Nivakoff on Nov. 18. 

It offers the first detailed look into a teenaged victim’s allegations against an officer who she claims responded to an unrelated call for help — and promptly contacted her, got her drunk, had sex with her at his downtown home, and paid her $100 in cash. 

She has also claimed and police investigators allege that Troche spent the next few months pressuring the victim by text message to send him nude photographs and have sex with him again in exchange for money. 

She said that Troche was just one of five city police officers with whom she has had sexual relationships. 

One of those officers, she said, was Gary Gamarra — who resigned from the local police force late last year and who has been de-certified by the state for allegedly raping sex workers in Fair Haven. (Gamarra has denied some of the allegations in that case. He resigned from the police force in December 2020.)

The release of the affidavit is the latest of a series of events in Fair Haven that have led to protests over concerns over whether or not the police department is protecting the immigrant community. (Read more about that here.)

“The undersigned states that she has probable cause to believe that Christopher Troche did commit the crimes of Patronizing a Prostitute, in violation of Connecticut General Statute 53a-83,” Det. Nivakoff wrote at the conclusion of her affidavit. (That doesn’t mean the woman was a sex worker; rather, the relevant clause refers to the use of money in solicitation of sex.)

The Independent has left messages with Troche seeking his side of the story since the spring, and again this week. He has declined to respond to those requests for comment.

Troche also had a chance to give his side of the story to police investigators.

He denied that he committed any criminal acts. Beyond that, according to the affidavit, Troche ​“declined a voluntary interview regarding this investigation” via an email exchange between Nivakoff and police union President Florencio Cotto.

The affidavit does offer Troche’s perspective in the form of transcribed text message exchanges between the officer and the victim from March. 

“I want to help you, I want to be here with you, I want a lot of sexual relations with you, I want to make you pregnant, I want to give you a house not a room,” Troche allegedly texted the victim in early March, ​“but you don’t love me for anything, you don’t send me messages, You don’t take pictures that I ask you for, you don’t accept the money I offer you.”

When later confronted by the victim via text message about the propriety of a city police officer asking her for sex and nude photos in exchange for money, Troche allegedly responded, ​“I did not offer you money for sex. It was to help you out a little bit. I told you several times that I wanted something serious with you. But I don’t want any problems with you. I’ll leave you alone.”

Troche has not yet entered a plea in the case.

Call For Help; Text For Sex

Nivakoff’s affidavit states that, on April 5 at around 10:56 a.m., Officer Ryan Hall met up with the young woman at a gas station on Long Wharf to take her complaint about how a ​“New Haven Police Officer was sending her text messages offering her money for sex.”

The victim, referred to in the affidavit as ​“V1,” said the officer was ​“Puerto Rican.” She had two different phones, both of which displayed a text message exchange between her and a phone number that investigators later confirmed belonged to Officer Troche. Hall documented that at the beginning of the text messages on one of the devices was a photograph of a man he recognized as Officer Troche.

That same day, then-Interim Police Chief Renee Dominguez placed Troche on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the complaint. According to the affidavit, when he handed over his gun and badge, Troche told Internal Affairs head Capt. David Zannelli that he ​“knew” the victim, ​“but did not provide any other details.”

On April 6, the victim came to the city police department to give a statement. Sgt. Lizmarie Almedina provided Spanish to English translation.

The victim said that she initially contacted the New Haven police and filed a police report on Jan. 7 ​“regarding a harassment complaint where V1 alleged she and her family in Honduras were being extorted.”

Officer Jeffrey Revellini was the primary officer on the call, and Troche arrived on scene to assist with translation.

The victim said she provided her complaint, as well as her biographical and contact information, to Troche.

Later that night, ​“she received a text message from Troche.” She said she had never spoken to Troche before Jan. 7. She said she gave the officer her contact information ​“to use in a professional capacity, however Troche utilized in in a personal manner.”

She said Troche asked her via text message ​“if she wanted to come over to his house to drink and smoke.” She agreed. 

She said it was either that night or the next night that she went to Troche’s home downtown. She said Troche ordered her an Uber to get to his place.

“Upon arriving at Troche’s residence, V1 stated Troche offered her tequila and V1 accepted (V1 was 19 years old at this time),” the affidavit reads. ​“V1 described it as contained in a glass cup, and it did not contain ice or mixers. V1 stated she and Troche sat in his living room drinking alcohol and smoked a hookah. V1 stated Troche rolled up an unknown substance in brown wrapping, but she was not sure of the contents. V1 stated she did not smoke the substance in the brown wrapping, although Troche did. V1 stated she became dizzy and felt ​‘awful’ after drinking three glasses of tequila. It was at this point that Troche and V1 moved to his bedroom where they ultimately had sexual intercourse. V1 stated she was under the impression that she and Troche were going to have sex when they went into the bedroom and V1 was in agreement to have sex.”

The victim said she felt dizzy as Troche undressed her. He then allegedly had vaginal intercourse with her without a condom. She said she told Troche that the penetration was hurting her, and Troche told her, ​“Wait, I have to finish.” She said she put her hands on his chest to keep him at a distance, but did not push him off. She said she never told Troche to stop, ​“but felt like he just should have known.” He ultimately ejaculated on her stomach.

The victim said that Troche later called her an Uber and she went home. ​“V1 stated Troche gave her $100 in cash, but was vague on why he was giving her the money.” She said it could have been because she was in pain during intercourse, ​“while she also indicated that it was because she thought Troche was paying her for the sex. V1 stated she felt ashamed about this point. V1 stated she didn’t believe Troche thought she was a sex worker, and V1 stated she was not a sex worker.”

The victim said this was the only occasion she ever saw Troche in person.

However, she said she and Troche did communicate via phone from this point in early January up until when she made a police report against him on April 5.

She said she was hoping that ​“a relationship may have developed between her and Troche, but that she grew tired of him offering her money for sex via phone.” She said the only time she accepted money from him was that January night they had sex at his place.

During that April 6 interview with the police, she did not identify Troche by name and said she did not know his name.

Victim Cites 4 Other NHPD Officers

The victim said that, on April 1, she disclosed her experience with Troche to former New Haven Police Officer Gary Gamarra, ​“after she and Gamarra had sexual intercourse on that same date (Gamarra resigned from the NHPD after a sexual misconduct administrative investigation involving sex workers was sustained against him).”

The victim said that she told Gamarra that Troche was offering her money for sex. She said that Gamarra never advised her to make a police report. (Gamarra hung up on a reporter seeking comment Thursday.)

The victim also told police investigators that ​“in addition to Troche and Gamarra, she was also in sexual relationships with three other New Haven Police Officers. V1 stated the only person who ever offered her money for sex was Troche and she is friends with the other three officers. V1 stated she never disclosed what occurred with Troche and his offering her of money for sex to any other officer.”

On Oc. 26, Nivakoff and Sgt. Rosa Melendez conducted a follow up interview via Zoom with the victim, who now lives in Missouri. 

Nivakoff noted several ​“conflicting accounts” between her initial statement from April 6 and what she said on Oct. 26.

In that Oct. 26 statement, the victim told the police that she did in fact tell Troche to ​“stop” while they were having sex. She said that she did try to push Troche off while he was penetrating her, but that the officer continued.

“V1 was asked why her statement conflicted with her first statement and she stated she couldn’t remember specific details now because she was drunk on the night she had sex with Troche and she had been sexually violated five times since she had moved to the United States, to include the incident with Troche.”

Nivakoff wrote that ​“V1’s account that Troche only gave her $100 one time, although he offered money many more times, remained consistent.” She also told investigators during that October interview that, subsequent to their having sex in January, Troche did once come by her home ​“clad in a uniform and operating a patrol cruiser. V1 stated she and Troche had communicated via phone that he was going to stop by her residence quickly. Upon his arrival, V1 came outside and she and Troche hugged and kissed briefly. Nothing further occurred.”

On April 9, Nivakoff wrote, she hand delivered Troche a letter at his residence stating that he was being placed on administrative leave. ​“During this interaction, Troche voluntarily stated, without provocation, that he saw V1 in December or January once and called her an Uber. Troche stated that they only communicated via phone since then. Troche stated he knows he did not do anything criminal. These statements by Troche were voluntary and unsolicited by Affiant Nivakoff and not recorded.”

Text Messages: "Tell Me How Much Money?"

After looking through screenshots of text message exchanges between the victim and Troche and after looking through one of the victim’s phones, Nivakoff discovered a total of three text message conversations ​“where Troche offered V1 money in return for nude photographs and sexual conduct.” Those text message exchanges took place between Jan. 24 and March 14. 

The affidavit notes that the text messages were originally written in Spanish, and they were translated into English as part of the investigation.

In one text message exchange from March 6, the victim told Troche that she was currently at work and eating. He allegedly responded, ​“Enjoy your meal, wanted to finger with you, was going to pay you.”

In another March 6 text message exchange, Troche allegedly asked the victim, ​“I want to see you in lingerie or naked, how much do you want me to pay you?”

“I am sorry but I can’t send pictures,” the victim replied, ​“I don’t like to send pictures like that Well the $100.”

“You can’t do it for me?” Troche asked. ​“I want to see you naked, I can pay you for the pictures.”

“I am sorry love but no,” the victim replied.

“And I can give you more for sex,” the officer continued.

“Of course (emoji),” the victim replied.

“Of course what?”

“That yes love”

“You don’t have to put your face in the pictures,” Troche said.

“No love not like that.”

“Well ok,” Troche said.

Another text message thread from March shows Troche asking the victim about the victim’s ​“Mexican friend” and about how he and another friend from New York ​“want to drink and have a good time with girls. We are going to pay.”

He then asked her again and again to have sex with him and his friend, to which the victim declined. 

“How much you want?” Troche asked.

“Whatever,” the victim said.

“Tell me how much money?”

“I don’t know.”

The victim then told Troche that he shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing, because he’s a police officer. ​“Be careful what you recently got from a friend of mine who is a police officer. I think you know him because he was found with prostitutes. I am not a prostitute but be careful what you do because they can fire you and they can take you to jail because you are offering me money for sex. I am a minor. I am still 20 years old. sorry. I am 19 years old. Since the first message you send me de last time I went to your house to smoke, I have all the messages.”

Troche then promised to leave her alone.

“I have 4 cop friends,” the victim continued, ​“and I told them and showed them all the messages and told me you can get in trouble for offering money for sex. You knew my friend was underage and only was 18 years old.”

Troche then repeated that he had not offered her money for sex, and only wanted to ​“help you out a little bit.”

Nivakoff wrote that an ​“Accurint search” of the phone number the victim had been texting with revealed that the owner of that number was a Massachusetts man who is deceased. An email address associated with that phone number, Nivakoff wrote, belongs to Troche.

An April 21 search of the victim’s phone showed that the victim and Troche communicated via text 249 times between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9 alone.

And police investigators later showed the victim a picture of Troche that had been on one of her phones and that Officer Hall had identified as Troche. She confirmed that that was the city police officer she made the complaint against.