PATERSON, NJ – Raelito Palao, 62, of Belleville, New Jersey, was found guilty on Friday, of multiple charges, including second-degree Sexual Assault, fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact, and third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
The trial took place before the Honorable Marilyn C. Clark, J.S.C.
The Clifton Police Department initially contacted the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit on June 12, 2013, to report that an eleven-year-old child had been sexually assaulted in Clifton.
Further investigation led detectives to interview the victim and several witnesses, and they discovered two additional victims who reported being sexually abused by Palao on different occasions between September 2005 and August 2007 and between June 2012 and June 2013 at various locations in Clifton.
On Thursday, a Passaic County petit jury convicted Palao on the charges. Judge Clark scheduled Palao’s sentencing hearing for September 5, 2023, at 10:00 AM and remanded him to the custody of the Passaic County Jail pending sentence.
Palao faces a potential sentence of five to ten years in New Jersey State Prison for the second-degree Sexual Assault charge, up to eighteen months for the fourth-degree Criminal Sexual Contact charge, and three to five years for the third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child charge.
Additionally, he will be subject to the Special Sentence of Parole Supervision for Life and Megan’s Law registration requirements.
