Registered Sex Offender Sexually Abused Niece: Suffolk DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A 42-year-old Melville man admitted to sexually abusing his 7-year-old niece in August, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Monday.

The man, a registered sex offender who the DA did not name to protect the niece's identity, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual act and other charges.

"This defendant violated the innocence of a 7-year-old child to satisfy his own despicable sexual desires," Tierney said in a news release. "This plea will hold the defendant accountable while sparing the young victim from having to face her uncle in court and testify about the horrific abuse that she endured."

The man spent the evening of Aug. 11 at his sister's home, according to his guilty plea. After everyone went to bed, the man went into his niece’s bedroom and sexually abused her, court documents show.

He told her that what he was doing was "exercise," and that it would "make her strong," the DA said.

The next day, the girl's mother noticed unusual behavior from her child, and asked her what was wrong, officials said. The girl told her mother what her uncle did to her, and the mother told the police, authorities said.

The man was arrested on Aug. 14 and admitted to sexually abusing his niece, investigators said.

The man was already registered as a sex offender from a 2008 conviction for first-degree attempted rape, the DA said.

The man pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, one count of first-degree sexual abuse, one count of second-degree sexual abuse, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

He is due back in court for sentencing on Dec. 20 and is being represented by Michael Elbert.