A 29-year-old West Babylon man was found guilty after a jury trial of repeatedly sexually abusing a family friend when she was between the ages of nine and twelve.
The evidence at trial established that during the COVID-19 shutdown, the defendant, a close friend of the family whom the child viewed as an “uncle” figure, began conducting Zoom calls with the then nine-year-old victim. While the calls initially centered on innocuous topics — games, superheroes and television — the defendant eventually began sharing his screen to show her pornographic images and videos while inappropriately touching himself.
(The defendant is not being named to protect the identity of the victim.)
Then, beginning in March 2022, the victim’s mother regularly brought the victim to the defendant’s home so he could babysit her while the mother worked. On those occasions, the defendant sexually abused the victim. In April 2023, the victim, then twelve years old, learned through school presentations and the Internet that the defendant’s conduct was wrong. She confronted him directly, telling him she did not want him to touch her anymore, and the abuse stopped.
Several months later, in February 2024, the victim began experiencing anxiety and panic attacks from the weight of keeping the abuse a secret. She disclosed the abuse to her mother, prompting the investigation that led to the defendant’s arrest and prosecution.
On May 22, 2026, the defendant was convicted of Course of Sexual Abuse Against a Child in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor, after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei.
“As a close family friend, this defendant exploited the trust of a child and the trust of the child’s mother to satisfy his predatory sexual perversion,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “This conviction is a testament to the courage of this young survivor, who found her own voice and put a stop to the abuse. My office will always stand up for children who cannot protect themselves, and we will pursue every available measure to ensure justice is served.”
The defendant is due back in court for sentencing on June 24, 2026, and faces up to 25 years in prison.