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Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said detectives from her Special Victims Unit began investigating Brian Guzman, 32, after receiving a tip from the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency in November 2019.
They arrested him two months later after interviewing “multiple witnesses, including the victim, who reported that [he] inappropriately touched the child at his residence in Clifton in August 2019,” Valdes said.
Guzman took a deal from prosecutors rather than face prison time if he was convicted at a trial, which would have required the victim to testify.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday in Superior Court in Paterson to a single count of fourth-degree child abuse in exchange for probation.
The terms of Guzman’s probation include that he complete “sex offender specific psychotherapy,” have no contact with the victim, comply with drug and alcohol restrictions and pay undisclosed fines and penalties, Valdes said.
Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Portelli scheduled sentencing for June 17.
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ALSO SEE: A Passaic County man who’s been jailed since last summer was indicted by a grand jury that said he exchanged sexually explicit videos with a boy as he pursued an in-person meeting, authorities announced Thursday.
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