Paterson, NJ – Julio Mejia, a 43-year-old resident of Wharton, has been sentenced to seven years in prison by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli.
The sentencing, which took place in Paterson, also mandates Mejia to register as a sex offender and subjects him to lifetime parole supervision.
Mejia faced charges following allegations from an underage girl from Prospect Park, who reported that Mejia sexually assaulted her after she took a Lyft ride in August 2019 and again after several weeks of texting. Rejecting a plea deal, Mejia opted for a jury trial and was convicted last September of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, enticing a minor, and child endangerment.
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes noted that Mejia was an active member of the armed services at the time of his arrest. Despite being convicted of multiple charges, Judge Portelli ordered that the sentences for sexual assault and luring run concurrently, not consecutively, but did impose lifetime parole supervision on Mejia
