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The New London landlord who was sentenced in 2017 to 16 years in prison for producing child pornography now is being sued for alleged sexual harassment, coercion, threats and intimidation.

The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said in a news release issued Thursday evening that, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, it has filed a lawsuit against Richard Bruno.

The lawsuit alleges that from 2011 to 2016, Bruno sexually harassed female tenants and rental applicants of properties owned by Bruno, Domco LLC and Domco II LLC. Bruno was a property manager for Domco, and he owned Domco II with his ex-wife.

The complaint alleges that Bruno evicted tenants who refused sexual advances, pressured applicants to engage in sexual acts for rental privileges, established "sex rooms" in rental properties that he made tenants and minor female children view, made unwelcome sexual advances and comments, and entered tenants' homes without their consent.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the victims, a court order preventing future discrimination and civil penalties.

"Everyone has the right to be free from unwanted sexual harassment and intimidation by a landlord or property manager, loan officer or housing official, maintenance worker or security guard," U.S. Attorney John H. Durham said in the news release. He encourages those who "are being victimized as a condition of their housing" to report such behavior to the Justice Department.

Those who have been victimized by sexual harassment or other housing discrimination at rental property formerly owned by Bruno are urged to contact investigator John Sereno at (203) 696-3036 or john.sereno@usdoj.gov.

State police arrested Bruno in May 2016 after he showed up to meet whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl he had solicited online.

According to affidavits, police then discovered computers that contained "apparently homemade pornographic videos that included Bruno as an actor and suspected juvenile girls as the other sex partner in bondage and sadomasochistic sex acts."

e.moser@theday.com