A jury has found a 67-year-old defendant from East Northport guilty by a jury of sexually abusing his great niece for years, beginning on her last day of kindergarten.
In June 2015, the victim’s family took her to a restaurant to celebrate her graduation from Kindergarten. When the victim needed to use the restroom, the defendant, her great uncle, took her there. After the child had used the bathroom, the defendant pulled down his pants and sexually abused her. The abuse continued whenever the child visited the defendant’s home, until the last incident in May 2020. (The identities are not being disclosed to protect the identity of the victim.)
The victim told her mother about the abuse in April 2022, when she was twelve years old, during a conversation concerning the victim’s depression and self-image. Her mother reported the abuse to the police, and the Suffolk County Police Department arrested the defendant on April 13, 2022.
On March 20, 2024, the defendant was convicted of first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, a Class B violent felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, after a jury trial heard before Suffolk County Court Judge Karen M. Wilutis.
The defendant is due back in court for sentencing on April 19, 2024, and faces up to 25 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision. He will also be required to register as a sex
offender.
“Because of this defendant’s horrific actions, his great niece’s memory of her last day of kindergarten will not be a happy one – it will be a reminder of the day that her sexual abuse by a
trusted family member began,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “As a result of her courage in coming forward to testify against her abuser, the defendant now faces a lengthy prison sentence where he can no longer hurt her.”