FREEHOLD, NJ – A former youth tennis instructor has been convicted of numerous sexual crimes against a 12-year-old student.
On Wednesday, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced that Terry Y. Kuo, 32, from Colts Neck, was convicted by a Monmouth County jury for several sexual offenses against a student. The series of offenses lasted over a year, starting when the student was just 12 years old.
The conviction follows a two-week trial overseen by Monmouth County Superior Court Criminal Division Presiding Judge Jill G. O’Malley. The case was initiated after one of Kuo’s students accused him of multiple sexual misconduct incidents from August 2016 to November 2017. Investigations led by the Marlboro Township Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Bureau and Computer Crimes Unit revealed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Kuo’s electronic devices and evidence of sexual crimes against the victim.
Using digital evidence, physical evidence, and testimonies – including from the now 19-year-old victim – the prosecution demonstrated that Kuo provided the victim with lavish gifts, including expensive electronics and designer goods, while manipulating her into sexual involvement with him.
Kuo was first arrested in Marlboro in November 2017 and indicted in February 2018. Additional evidence led to superseding indictments in December 2018 and January 2023, with the trial commencing recently.
Ultimately, the jury convicted Kuo on multiple charges, including first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, first-degree Kidnapping, and second-degree Sexual Assault, among others.
Prosecutor Santiago commented on the case’s outcome, highlighting the manipulative and predatory behavior of the defendant and thanking the jury for their discerning judgment.
Kuo’s sentencing is set for Friday, December 1. He faces the possibility of a life sentence and is currently held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold Township.