Essex County Sex Offender Gets Jail Term, Faces Deportation: Prosecutor

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A 46-year-old Essex County man was sentenced to 18 years in state prison on Tuesday for sexually assaulting two young girls while he and his wife were acting as their caregivers, prosecutors say.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, a Superior Court judge sentenced Uvaldo Melgar, 46, of Newark, to 12 years in state prison, with an 85 percent period of parole ineligibility for aggravated sexual assault and an additional six years for endangering the welfare of a child.

Melgar faces possible deportation upon the completion of his sentence. In addition, he must register as a Megan’s Law offender and is subject to parole supervision for life, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Melgar and his wife were caregivers for the girls, ages 7 and 10, at his family's home while their mother worked. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting the youngest girl between August 2012 and May 2013, as well as endangering both girls.

Following a three-week trial, on Nov. 17, 2016, Melgar was convicted of one count of first degree aggravated sexual assault, one count of second degree sexual assault and two counts of second degree endangering the welfare of a child.

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