25-Year-Old Who Abused Sleeping Friend Now Registered Sex Offender

NEW CASTLE, NY — A Westchester man who was convicted by a jury of sexually abusing a woman while she was sleeping has been sentenced for the crime, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced today.

Anthony Urena was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years of probation and the requirement that he register as a sex offender. In March, a jury convicted the now 25-year-old of felony sexual abuse in the first degree.

The District Attorney’s Office recommended a term of state prison.

"You have stolen something from me I will never get back. I felt violated. I felt scared… I felt betrayed. I felt embarrassed… No one should ever have the misfortune of blissfully thinking they can trust a friend who is not really a friend at all and would violate them given the opportunity," the victim told the court in a victim impact statement. "I hope this trial has aided in saving another girl from becoming a victim of sexual assault."

On July 21, 2019, at approximately 4 a.m., Urena sexually abused the victim while she was sleeping in the defendant’s home in New Castle. The New Castle Police Department arrested Urena more than a year later on Nov. 5, 2020, following an intensive investigation, with assistance from the Ossining Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Sex Crimes Bureau Chief Wendy Parra and Assistant District Attorney Charlotte Gudis.