Norwalk resident pleads guilty to restraining Stamford woman in his car

STAMFORD — A Norwalk man accused of restraining a woman in his car pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Stamford, accepting a deal that gives him a one-year jail sentence that he’s already served.

Sergio Chuta, 52, has been in state custody for more than a year since his arrest in late 2022. Appearing in court with a defense lawyer and a Spanish speaking interpreter, Chuta pleaded guilty to first-degree unlawful restraint, a felony, and soliciting sex, a misdemeanor.

Prosecutor Margaret Moscati told Judge Gary White that the Office of the State’s Attorney had been “unable to locate the victim” in the case, who had been stabbed in the leg and arm, allegedly by Chuta. Without the woman’s testimony, she said, the state had been unable to pursue a charge of first-degree assault, which had initially been filed against Chuta.

Moscati gave the judge a summary of the case against Chuta: In May 2022, he arranged to meet a Stamford woman through social media and pay her $100 for a sexual encounter. He picked her up at the Stamford train station and began driving to Norwalk on Interstate 95. Chuta was belligerent, according to the arrest warrant application, and a physical altercation occurred. The woman told Norwalk police that she asked to be let out, but Chuta kept speeding. The woman was stabbed and later required surgery at Norwalk Hospital.

Chuta was arrested on a warrant in September and has been held in the state lock-up since then, unable to post $200,000 bail.

The deal worked out between prosecutors and defense attorney Benjamin Aponte gave Chuta a fiveyear prison sentence suspended after one year with credit for time served and three years of probation.

The charge of unlawful restraint carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. Solicitation carries a one-year sentence.

Judge White accepted the guilty pleas and the negotiated settlement. Chuta, wearing beige prison clothes, was allowed to leave state custody with a promise to appear at what could be his last court appearance in the criminal case against him on March 26.

A pre-sentencing report was required before the March 26 hearing.