Newark Man Told Sex Assault Victims They Were In Danger From Gang: ECPO

NEWARK, NJ — A jury recently found a Newark man guilty of sexual assault after he manipulated three victims into having intercourse by telling them they were in danger from a street gang, authorities say.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, a jury convicted Salaam Leeks, 39, of Newark, on three counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault.

Authorities released the following statement after the jury reached their verdict:

“Prosecutors proved that Leeks sexually assaulted three victims in 2015 and 2016 in Newark. The defendant falsely claimed that the victims and their families were in danger from a street gang. He told each victim that engaging in sex with him would protect them from harm. As a result, the victims had intercourse with the defendant under coercion and without their freely given consent.”

Leeks is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 8. He faces up to 40 years in prison, prosecutors said.

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