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Freddy O. Guzman, who was arrested in January, was formally charged at an arraignment in Hackensack on Monday with criminal sexual contact, criminal sexual assault, and engaging in sexual conduct that would impair or debauch the morals of a child.
Defense attorney Brian Neary entered a plea of “not guilty” on Guzman’s behalf.
Meanwhile, Daily Voice learned of two prior arrests.
One occurred in Hudson County in 2003, when Guzman was charged with obscenity to a person under 18 years old. The charge was downgraded and disposed of in Municipal Court.
The other was a fourth-degree sexual assault charge in Bergen County in 2002. Guzman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year’s probation, records show.
According to Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli, the girl alleged assaults occurred from when she was 12 until she was 15. She'd turned 20 when she reported them, he said.
The girl also charged that Guzman’s wife, Karem Guzman, knew of the sexual abuse and didn’t take action. She was issued a summons, the prosecutor said.
An Oct. 15 indictment charges Guzman with forcing the girl into giving him oral sex and doing the same to her, among other illegal acts.
He faces as much as 10 to 20 years on all but one of the ten charges if he's convicted at a trial.
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