Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 49-year-old Central Islip man1 was found guilty after trial of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the Second Degree, for repeatedly sexually abusing his stepdaughter while she was between the ages of eight and 15 years old.
The District Attorney’s Office is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the child victim.
“Anyone who comes forward to report sexual abuse is extremely brave, especially a child,” said District Attorney Tierney. “The defendant's responsibility was to keep this child safe but instead he brought years of suffering. We will be asking that the defendant be sentenced to the maximum period of incarceration at sentence.”
The evidence at trial established that in 2017, the victim moved in with her mother, her siblings, and the defendant, the victim’s stepfather. The victim was eight years old at the time. Shortly after, the victim moved into the large room that they all shared, and the defendant began to sexually abuse the victim several times a week, whenever they were alone. The abuse continued for seven years, until the victim was 15 years old.
On January 11, 2024, the defendant again sexually abused the victim and was interrupted when he heard the victim’s sibling approach. The victim went into the bathroom, cried, and texted her friend and her mother asking for help. Her mother contacted the police, and the defendant was arrested following an investigation.
On April 1, 2025, the defendant was convicted of the following charges after a jury trial heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis:
- Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony;
- Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor; and
- Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, a Class B misdemeanor.
The defendant is due back in court for sentencing on June 2, 2025, and faces up to seven in prison. He is being represented by Luigi Belcastro, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Joseph Mallek and Zachary Kelly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Kacy McLaughlin 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.