Former Probation Officer Gets 10-Year Sentence For Sexual Assault

WALL, NJ - A Wall Township resident and former Monmouth County probation officer was sentenced to 10 years in a state prison after sexually assaulting a woman he supervised on drug court probation and making false representations, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Henry C. Cirignano, 48, a Wall Township resident and 18-year veteran of the New Jersey State Probation Department, was sentenced Thursday by Ocean County Presiding Criminal Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels in Toms River. As part of his sentence, Cirignano must serve for six years, nine months and 20 days before becoming eligible for any release on parole.

Cirignano was arrested in February 2019 and charged with the sexual assault of a 23-year-old woman he supervised on drug court probation. An investigation later revealed that, between August 2016 and January 2019, Cirignano engaged in sexual activity with the woman while she was under his supervision. Additional charges were filed subsequent to the investigation, including charges of official misconduct after it was determined that he took advantage of his position to conceal his illicit activities.

Cirignano had also threatened to create false probation violations resulting in incarceration unless the victim provided sexual favors to him, according to the MCPO. Cirignano’s sexual assaults upon the victim were frequent and repetitive, with the Monmouth County man repeatedly lying to the judge presiding over his victim’s case by providing false excuses for the victim’s failure to appear in court.

Cirignano pleaded guilty on Feb. 24, 2020 to three counts of second degree sexual assault by coercion and one count of second degree official misconduct.

“Cirignano’s actions represent the worst type of predatory behavior,” said Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. “He trampled upon the oath he took as a public servant, and abused his power by forcing the victim to provide sexual favors, extorting her with threats of incarceration if she refused. Thankfully, he will serve a significant jail sentence, be registered as a sex offender, and never hold a public job again.”

Cirignano will be subject to parole supervision for life, required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and faces a lifetime ban on public employment in the State of New Jersey and forfeit his benefits.

Cirignano has been lodged at the Ocean County Correctional Institution since his arrest on
Feb. 4, 2019.