RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – A 40-year-old man from Guatemala was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison after being found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing his stepdaughter over several years, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
Police did not release the man’s name in order to protect the identity of the victim.
Prosecutors said the man was convicted in December of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child, a Class B violent felony, following a jury trial in Suffolk County Court. The case involved a pattern of abuse that began when the victim was a young child and continued for about five years in their Riverhead home.
Authorities said the victim eventually learned through a school presentation that what was happening to her was wrong and later came forward. She disclosed the abuse to her mother and police in 2023, leading to an investigation by the Southampton Town Police Department and the defendant’s arrest that October.
On February 4, Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis imposed the 23-year prison term, to be followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. The defendant, represented by the Legal Aid Society, will be transferred to federal custody for immigration review following his state sentence.
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DHS-ICE lodged a detainer to return the defendant to ICE custody after he serves his sentence.
He had also been previously deported in 2006.
District Attorney Tierney commended the victim for her strength in coming forward. “We are committed to seeking maximum penalties for those who harm children, and we will not rest until every victim receives justice,” Tierney said in a statement.
- The defendant was convicted of a Class B violent felony for child sexual abuse.
- The victim disclosed the abuse in 2023 after years of trauma.
- The sentence includes 23 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision.
Assistant District Attorneys Ashley Moruzzi and Sean Murphy of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau prosecuted the case, with assistance from Investigator Robert Fichett. Detective Michael Algozzino of the Southampton Town Police Department led the investigation.
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