A Center Moriches man was indicted for allegedly raping his stepdaughter over a period of 10 years. The victim claimed that the alleged rapes started when she was seven years old.
The man had allegedly began sexually abusing his stepdaughter by forcing himself onto her when she was a seven-year-old child. When the victim fought back, the abuse became more aggressive as time went on. The man would send sexually explicit images to his stepdaughter and requested that she respond by sending back images of herself. The man allegedly threatened her with more abuse if she did not listen to him.
In May 2023, the victim had approached her mother and pleaded with her not to leave her alone with her stepfather. She then proceeded to inform the mother of the repeated abuse she suffered from him.
The victim and her mother devised a plan to catch the man in the act. The mother would pretend to leave for work, then come back a few minutes later to find the man nude and attempting to rape her daughter. The man was stopped by the mother and later arrested.
On June 7, the man was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis. The charges include predatory sexual assault against a child, first-degree attempted rape, twelve counts of first-degree rape, first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, three counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, eight counts of use of a child in a sexual performance, second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, ten counts of first-degree disseminating indecent material to minors, eight counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child, and endangering the welfare of a child. The man is due back in court on July 27.
“The horror that this child is alleged to have endured for an entire decade of her young life is unfathomable,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Children should look to their parents, stepparents, and guardians for comfort and not be terrified that they will be sexually abused if left alone with them. My office will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that this defendant is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”