Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 42-year-old Lindenhurst man was sentenced to 30 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision after a jury found him guilty of raping his 12-year-old daughter and sexually abusing his 8-year-old daughter.
The District Attorney’s Office is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the child victims.
“Let this prison sentence for rape and sexual abuse be a warning to anyone that if they seek to harm children in Suffolk County, they will end up behind bars,” said District Attorney Tierney. “My office will do everything in our power to ensure that justice is served and that our children are protected from individuals who would prey on minors. As always, I applaud the bravery of the child victims in coming forward and appreciate the fine work of our Suffolk County Police in holding this defendant accountable for his actions.”
The evidence at trial established that in early 2016, the defendant went into a room where his then 8-year-old daughter was resting. The defendant sexually abused the child and then told her to clean herself up afterward and watched as she showered. That daughter did not disclose the abuse until 2021, when she told her mother what had occurred.
Following that disclosure, the defendant’s older daughter also told her mother that in April 2013, when she was 12 years old, the defendant raped and sexually abused her. After both daughters disclosed the abuse, their mother contacted the Suffolk County Police Department, and the defendant was arrested. Following his arrest, the defendant sent a letter to the victims’ mother, indicating that he was sorry for what he had done.
On September 8, 2023, the defendant was found guilty after a jury trial heard before County Court Judge, the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis, of the following charges:
- One count of Rape in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
- One count of Criminal Sex Act in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
- Two counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a Class D violent felony; and
- One Count of Criminal Contempt, a Class A misdemeanor.
On December 18, 2023, Judge Wilutis sentenced the defendant to 30 years in prison, followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The defendant was represented by John Halverson, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Zachary Kelly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau and Chase Brown of the Domestic Violence Unit, with investigative assistance from Detective Adolfo Berrios of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Section.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.
