Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today
announced that a 41-year-old Southold man was sentenced to 30 years in prison followed by 20
years of post-release supervision, after a jury found him guilty last month of sexually abusing his
five-year-old niece, and sexually abusing his ex-fiancée’s nine-year-old child over the course of
three years.
“This sentence of 30 years in prison for the sexual abuse of two innocent children is well-
deserved,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Let this lengthy sentence serve as notice to anyone
who thinks that they can harm children in Suffolk County and get away with it, that they are sadly
mistaken. These children were extremely brave throughout this process, and I hope that this
conviction will help with the healing process.”
The evidence at trial established that in April 2021, the defendant molested his niece while
watching a movie at his girlfriend’s apartment. That night, the victim told her mother what
happened, and her mother reported the abuse to the Town of Southold Police Department.
The District Attorney’s Office is not naming the defendant to protect the identities of the child
victims.
During the police investigation, a child of the defendant’s ex-fiancée also reported having been
repeatedly raped by the defendant between 2015 and 2018 when the child was 9-12 years old. The
abuse occurred while the defendant was alone with the child while the victim’s mother was at
work. The defendant threatened to hurt the victim’s family if the child told anyone about the abuse,
so the child kept the abuse a secret. The child disclosed the abuse to their therapist once the
investigation into the abuse of the defendant’s niece began.
On October 20, 2023, the defendant was found guilty after a jury trial heard before County Court
Judge, the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis, for the following charges:
Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a Class D violent felony; and
Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor.
On November 30, 2023, the defendant was sentenced to 30 years in prison, followed by 20 years
of post-release supervision, and he will be required to register as a sex offender. The defendant
was represented by Scott Zerner, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney MacDonald Drane of the Child Abuse and
Domestic Violence Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Sergeant Steven L.
Harned of the Town of Southold Police Department, and Detective Investigator Lorraine Winters
of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.