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Jose Santana, 60, of Belleville, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Martin Cronin. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he will be eligible for parole.
Santana was convicted by an Essex County jury of three counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of endangering the welfare of a child on Nov. 15, 2019.
The assaults occurred on multiple occasions while the little girl was visiting Santana and his wife at their Belleville home.
Santana forced her to watch child pornography while the sexual assaults occurred, authorities said.
When officers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home, they discovered child pornography on his computer.
“Hopefully, this will give closure to the family and this little girl will be able to rest easy knowing her brave actions will prevent him from hurting her or anyone else in the future,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Peter C. Polidoro, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Tony Gutierrez.
“I hope that this sentence of 35 years sends a clear message that sexual abuse of a child will not be tolerated and will be punished severely."
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