A federal judge has granted a New London teen's motion to attach $250,000 worth of assets from jailed landlord Richard M. Bruno, who she claims repeatedly raped her on camera in a secret room in one of his buildings.

Bruno, 47, of Waterford is incarcerated on federal and state charges that he produced pornography involving a minor, and in a separate case, attempted to entice a 13-year-old girl to have sex.

The alleged victim from New London, now 18 and referred to as "Jane Doe" in legal filings, is the first person in Connecticut to bring a lawsuit under "Masha's Law," a section of the Adam Walsh Act of 2006 that allows victims of child pornography and other sexual crimes to sue for damages, according to her attorney, Jonathan J. Einhorn. The law enables victims to sue their abusers for at least $150,000.

Einhorn had sought attachment of assets worth $500,000, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Joan Glazer Margolis last week granted a prejudgment remedy of $250,000 after listening to testimony from the young woman at a hearing on April 3. In an April 20 decision, Margolis wrote that "Jane Doe" established probable cause that she will win the case in which she claims that as a result of Bruno's actions, she suffers from "extreme emotional distress, intereference with personal relationships, feelings of shame, feelings of vulnerability and mistrust and depression."

The teen testified she began communicating with Bruno, her family's landlord, via social media and he offered her money and marijuana in exchange for having sex with him and taking photos. She said she met him weekly at a building he owns at 19 Mountain Ave. in New London, where he took her into a "secret room" behind his office with a bed, women's clothing, sexual devices, a mirror and a video camera. She claims she was the victim of sexual assault and unwanted sexual activities.

The judge said the victim's testimony established she suffered damages exceeding the $150,000 minimum, but has not yet offered evidence of more than $250,000 in damages. The young woman had testified that she had attended two or three counseling sessions to date and had no more scheduled, according to the decision. 

The teen was 17 years old when the alleged incidents occurred in 2015 and 2016, putting her over the 16-year-old age of consent to sex in Connecticut. Under federal law, though, those under 18 are considered minors who are legally incapable of consenting to sexual acts. Bruno faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted.

In addition to granting the prejudgment remedy, Margolis ordered Bruno to disclose all of his assets and property to the court by May 12. The owner of 18 rental properties with an estimated value of more than $2.4 million, Bruno is embroiled in a divorce with his wife of 19 years, Kem Bruno, who said in court documents that she was unaware of her husband's illegal activities.

Mrs. Bruno, manager of her family's livery business, Curtin Transportation Group, is seeking ownership of all of the couple's jointly owned properties and other other assets. Her lawyers have placed legal notices, called "lis pendens" on all of the properties, asserting a legal claim to their ownership.

The attorney for Jane Doe, said the federal court order would supersede the divorce claims.

"We already had a temporary restrainting order on this property," Einhorn said in a phone interview Monday.

"Now there's an attachment, which is a lien on the property, and we believe a federal lien gives priority over his divorce. It's a question, really, about how much he has by way of assets. I don't think anybody truthfully knows that."

Mrs. Bruno and her attorneys could not be reached for comment Monday. Attorneys from the Suisman Shapiro law firm, who are representing Bruno, declined to comment.

k.florin@theday.com