(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 41-year-old Southold man was sentenced to 30 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision, after a jury found him guilty last month of sexually abusing his five-year-old niece, and sexually abusing his ex-fiancée’s nine-year-old child over the course of three years.
“This sentence of 30 years in prison for the sexual abuse of two innocent children is well-deserved,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Let this lengthy sentence serve as notice to anyone who thinks that they can harm children in Suffolk County and get away with it, that they are sadly mistaken. These children were extremely brave throughout this process, and I hope that this conviction will help with the healing process.”
The evidence at trial established that in April 2021, the defendant molested his niece while watching a movie at his girlfriend’s apartment. That night, the victim told her mother what happened, and her mother reported the abuse to the Town of Southold Police Department.
During the police investigation, a child of the defendant’s ex-fiancée also reported having been repeatedly raped by the defendant between 2015 and 2018 when the child was 9-12 years old. The abuse occurred while the defendant was alone with the child while the victim’s mother was at work. The defendant threatened to hurt the victim’s family if the child told anyone about the abuse, so the child kept the abuse a secret. The child disclosed the abuse to their therapist once the investigation into the abuse of the defendant’s niece began.
On October 20, 2023, the defendant was found guilty after a jury trial heard before County Court Judge, the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis, for the following charges:
• Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
• Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a Class D violent felony; and
• Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor.
On November 30, 2023, the defendant was sentenced to 30 years in prison, followed by 20 years of post-release supervision, and he will be required to register as a sex offender. The defendant was represented by Scott Zerner, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney MacDonald Drane of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Sergeant Steven L. Harned of the Town of Southold Police Department, and Detective Investigator Lorraine Winters of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.