'Predator': Man Who Sexually Abused Stepdaughter, 6, Repeatedly Sentenced To 23 Years Behind Bars: DA

RIVERHEAD, NY — A Riverhead man was sentenced to 23 years in prison after repeatedly sexually abusing his stepdaughter for a span of five years, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.

According to the DA, the Guatemalan national, 40, was found guilty by a jury of sexual conduct against a child in December.

The evidence at trial established that in 2014, the girl moved to Riverhead with her mother, and they began living in a room in a house with the defendant, her stepfather, Tierney said.

The mother left home at about 3:30 a.m. six days a week to go to work at a deli, while the man was home until about 5:30 a.m. before leaving for work, the DA said.

The child, who was six years old at the time, testified that he began waking her up after her mother left for work and carrying her into his bed, where he sexually abused her, the DA said.

The abuse continued for years, and the child did not realize initially that what her stepfather was doing to her was wrong because she trusted him — and she was too young to understand what was happening, the DA said.

The District Attorney is not naming the defendant to protect the identity of the child, he said.

When the girl was nine years old, a presentation about good and bad touches was given to her fourth-grade class by a school social worker, and she learned for the first time that what he was doing was wrong, the DA said.

She began to tell him to stop, and the sexual abuse became less frequent, but continued, Tierney said.

The last incident occurred in 2019, but the girl did not disclose the abuse to an adult because he threatened her and she did not want to break up her family, the DA said.

In 2023, the girl was no longer living with the family, but the trauma she endured was negatively impacting her life and schoolwork, Tierney said; she then told her mother and the police, Tierney said.

On October 19, 2023, the man was arrested following an investigation by the Southampton Town Police Department, Tierney said.

On December 17, 2025, he was convicted after a jury trial, heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis, of course of sexual conduct against a child, a Class B violent felony, the DA said.

On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision, the DA said. He was represented by the Legal Aid Society.

DHS-ICE lodged a detainer to return the man to ICE custody after he serves his sentence; he had also been previously deported in 2006, the DA said.

"The jury’s verdict affirms that this defendant is a predator who exploited his access to an innocent child for years," said Tierney. "We are committed to seeking maximum penalties for those who prey on children, and we will not rest until every victim receives justice."