Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 60-year-old Connecticut man was found guilty after a jury trial of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child, for sexually abusing a child for five years, beginning when she was six years old.
The District Attorney’s Office is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the child victim.
“Today’s verdict brings justice to a young victim who endured horrific trauma at the hands of the defendant,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Our thoughts remain with the victim and her family throughout this difficult journey, and we remain committed to ensuring that justice is served in every case of abuse.”
The evidence at trial established that in September 2011, the defendant was dating the mother of the then 6-year-old victim and was staying in their home. In October 2011, the defendant began to sexually abuse the child which escalated in severity over time. The abuse ended in October 2016 when the defendant moved out of the home and went to live with his mother in Connecticut. The victim reported the abuse to police in 2021 after she told her grandmother, who encouraged her to file a report.
On December 16, 2024, the defendant was convicted of Course of Sexual Conduct in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony, after a jury trial heard before Acting County Court Judge Richard T. Dunne. The defendant is due back in court for sentencing on January 17, 2025, and faces up to
25 years in prison. He is being represented by Chad LaVeglia, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ashley Moruzzi and Alexandra Raso of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Lisa Hofelich of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Section.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.