Jury Finds Former Church Sexton Guilty Of Repeatedly Sexually Assaulting, Raping Young Girl

"I want to commend the young victim in this case for the courage she demonstrated in facing her abuser in court," DA Cacace said.

By Jeff Edwards, Patch Staff

Oct 15, 2026 9:39 AM EDT

Ruiz is remanded at the Westchester County Jail and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 24, when he faces 25 years to life in prison. (Westchester County District Attorney)

YONKERS, NY — A Westchester man has been found guilty of crimes connected to the rape and repeated sex abuse of a young child.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced on Wednesday that 40-year-old Rolando Ruiz, of Yonkers, was convicted of raping and repeatedly sexually assaulting a child for more than four years.

On Friday, a Westchester County jury found Ruiz guilty of felony predatory sexual assault against a child; two felony counts of use of a child less than 17 years of age in a sexual performance; and two felony counts of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child.

Ruiz is currently remanded at the Westchester County Jail and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 24, when he faces 25 years to life in state prison.

"I want to commend the young victim in this case for the courage she demonstrated in facing her abuser in court and ensuring the jury heard her testimony about the heinous and monstrous acts committed against her for years by Rolando Ruiz," Cacace said. "Her tremendous strength, coupled with the extraordinary work of my Child Abuse Bureau and the Yonkers Police Department, helped secure this hard-won conviction and guarantee that this despicable defendant will spend significant time behind bars."

Prosecutors say that between Sept. 5, 2020, and Dec. 30, 2024, Ruiz repeatedly subjected the victim, a girl under the age of 13, to two or more acts of sexual conduct, including vaginal and oral sexual conduct, in Yonkers.

Ruiz also used his cellphone to record two videos, one in May 2024 and the other in December 2024, of the victim engaging in oral sexual conduct.

The Yonkers Police Department arrested Ruiz on April 6, 2025, after receiving a tip from a person who reported seeing the two sexually explicit videos on Ruiz's cellphone.

The investigation was conducted by the Yonkers Police Department. The case is being prosecuted Child Abuse Bureau Chief Owein Levin and Assistant DA Daniela Pisahov, both of the Special Prosecutions Division. Former Senior Assistant DA Charlotte Gudis was previously assigned to the case.