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Gabriel Sunuc was found guilty by a jury in Paterson of several aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault charges, as well as a trio of child endangerment counts, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said.
It all began when the child, then 14, called 911 in August 2018 to report the abuse, Valdes said.
Alerted by Passaic police, detectives from her office interviewed multiple witnesses, including the child, the prosecutor said.
“The child reported being sexually abused by (Sunuc) on multiple occasions between March 2015 and August 2018 at various residences in Passaic,” Valdes said.
Superior Court Judge Marybel Ramirez scheduled sentencing for Feb. 17 following Monday’s verdict, secured by Passaic County Assistant Prosecutor Alyssa DiSturco.
Sunuc is facing a minimum 25-year sentence for his conviction on aggravated sexual assault of a preteen. More time could be added for the other convictions, which relate to separate incidents. He will also be subject to lifetime parole supervision and Megan’s Law registration.
Sunuc will remain held at the Passaic County Jail until he’s assigned to a secure state facility to serve out his sentence.
Because of the severity of the crimes, he also must submit to a psychiatric examination at the Adult Diagnostic Psychiatric Center in Avenel.
The evaluation determines whether he is a “repetitive and compulsive” offender who must undergo sex offender-specific therapy/treatment. Another evaluation once the sentence is served could keep Sunuc civilly committed for an indefinite period of time after that.
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