Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the indictment of a 47-year-old Defendant for repeated sexual assaults against his then 14-year-old stepdaughter between 2002 and 2003 in Brentwood.
The District Attorney’s Office is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the sexual assault victim.
“This defendant allegedly repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted his 14-year-old stepdaughter, and then fled to El Salvador after the abuse was first discovered in 2003,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Thanks to our partnerships with law enforcement agencies here and around the world, our message is clear to those who would prey upon children. There is no safe place for you to hide. No matter how long it takes, we will do everything in our power to find you, bring you back to Suffolk County to be held accountable for your actions.”
In September 2003, the defendant was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury for the following charges:
- Four counts of Rape in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
- One count of Sodomy in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
- Four counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a Class D violent felony; and
- One count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor.
According to the investigation, in March of 2002, the defendant locked his then 14-year-old stepdaughter in a room and forcibly raped her while her mother was at work. He threatened to kill the victim or her mother if the victim told anyone what he had done. He continued to rape and sexually abuse her until June 2003, when the victim told her friend about the abuse and her young friend had the presence of mind to record a conversation between herself and the defendant in which the defendant admitted to having intercourse with the victim and taking her for an abortion after she became pregnant. The victim’s friend gave that recording to her own mother, who shared it with the victim’s mother. Upon learning about the abuse of her daughter, the victim’s mother confronted the defendant and he fled from the United States before the police were notified and able to apprehend him.
In 2021, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office was made aware that the defendant may be living in El Salvador. Following an investigation, the District Attorney’s Office began extradition proceedings to bring the defendant back to Suffolk County to face these charges. With the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and Suffolk County Police Department detectives, the defendant was brought back to Suffolk County on November 1, 2023.
On November 2, 2023, the defendant was arraigned on the indictment by County Court Judge, the Honorable Karen M. Wilutis, who ordered the defendant remanded during the pendency of the case. The defendant is due back in court on December 15, 2023, and he is being represented by Thomas Barra, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Grier of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, with investigative assistance from the United States Marshals Service and Detective Alex Beyrer of the Suffolk County Police Department.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.