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Friday, nov 8
Tag:
Child Abuse
News
LI Child Therapist Shared Videos Of Infants Being Bound, Raped, Feds Say
A licensed child therapist from Long Island is accused of sharing videos of child sex abuse, with some victims as young as toddlers. Renee Hoberman, age 36, of Plainview, was arraigned on charges of distributing child pornography in Central Islip federal court on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Prosecutors said Hoberman used social media messaging apps to upload videos depicting one or more minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct between June and October 2024. Several videos depicted infants aged six months to one year being physically restrained and raped by an adult male, as the infants cried…
News
New Details: State Failed 'Committed Mother' Stabbed To Death At Long Island Home, Family Says
A New York man accused of murdering the mother of his child should’ve been locked up years ago, his own relatives insist. Long Island resident Brenda Guadalupe Alfaro-Alcantara, age 29, was found with multiple stab wounds in the basement of her Hempstead home on Botsford Street at around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Nassau County Police. Detectives arrested a suspect, 43-year-old Jose Funes-Zabala, of Roosevelt, on Monday afternoon, Oct. 7. He is charged with second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child. Earlier Report:&n…
News
Adult Film Actor From NY Accused Of Distributing Child Pornography
An adult film actor who resides in New York has been accused of sending and receiving hundreds of videos of child pornography, federal authorities announced. Justin Heath Smith, who uses the stage name “Austin Wolf.” sent images depicting children as young as infants, "including a ghastly video showing a young child bound, beaten, and raped," said Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In addition to sharing child pornography via the Telegram app, the 43-year-old Smith was also charged with possessing hundreds of additional videos conta…
Schools
Ex-Long Island Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Students Photographed Third Victim, DA Says
A retired elementary school teacher on Long Island charged with sexually abusing two of his students is now accused of harming a third student. Thomas Bernagozzi, age 75, of Babylon, was arrested on sex crimes charges in December 2023 after an investigation by Suffolk County Police found that he sexually abused two male students between the 1980s and early 2000s while teaching third grade in the Bay Shore School District. At the time of the alleged abuse, the boys were third-grade students at Gardiner Manor Elementary School and Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School. Bernagozzi taught a…
News
Couple Sentenced For Murdering Boy Found At Brentwood Home
A mother and her boyfriend convicted of murdering the woman’s young son will spend decades behind bars. Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae, both 28 and from Queens, were each sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, May 1. It followed a two-week trial after which jurors found the couple guilty of fatally beating Owusu’s 5-year-old son, King. Earlier Report: 'Horrific': Mom, Boyfriend Murdered 5-Year-Old Boy Found At Long Island Home, Jury Finds Prosecutors argued that Owusu and Addae brutally beat the boy with at least four different instruments …
News
Setauket Dad's Abuse Left Newborn With Brain Injury: DA
A Long Island father repeatedly abused his newborn son, culminating in the child suffering a traumatic brain injury, prosecutors allege. Vincent DiStasi, age 31, of South Setauket, was formally charged with assault and related offenses in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, April 25, after prosecutors said he repeatedly abused his 5-week-old son to the point of needing emergency surgery. According to the indictment, Suffolk County Police were called to Stony Brook University Hospital on Sunday, Jan. 21 after the unresponsive infant was brought to the emergency department by ambulance. …
News
8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside NY Garage Was Failed By Child Protective Services: Jury
A scathing grand jury report found that Child Protective Services (CPS) workers in New York had ample opportunities to save an 8-year-old boy whose years of abuse at the hands of his ex-NYPD officer father culminated in him freezing to death inside a garage. The 71-page report, made public Thursday, April 4, found that Suffolk County CPS received at least 10 reports of abuse or neglect from Thomas Valva’s teachers in the two years leading up to his January 2020 death inside the garage of his Center Moriches home. Valva died of hypothermia after he and his 10-year-old brother Anthony w…
News
Ex-Worker At Long Island Facility Raped Teen Resident While Under Investigation, DA Says
New details have been released in the case of a former children’s group home employee on Long Island accused of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old resident. Hayden Daley, age 28, of Deer Park, was indicted on multiple counts of rape and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Feb. 26. Prosecutors said Daley began a sexual relationship with the girl in May 2023 while working as a child support specialist at WellLife Network in Dix Hills, a residential facility for children operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health. Earlier Report: Ex-Employee At Long Island Facil…
News
Huntington Station Man Sentenced For Repeated Sexual Abuse Of His Daughter
A Long Island man will spend nearly two decades in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing his young daughter. The 42-year-old Huntington Station resident, whose name has not been released to protect the identity of the child victim. was sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by 18 years of post-release supervision, after pleading guilty to five separate charges, three of which are felonies, for repeatedly sexually abusing his daughter over three years. According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocation, the defendant began sex…
News
5-Week-Old Baby In Critical Condition After Long Island Father's Abuse, Police Say
A 5-week-old boy from Long Island is hospitalized with serious injuries after being abused by his own father, police said. Suffolk County Police were called to Stony Brook University Hospital on Sunday, Jan. 21 after the infant arrived at the emergency department by ambulance. Doctors determined the boy’s injuries were consistent with abuse. On Monday, Jan. 29, police arrested the boy’s father, 31-year-old Vincent DiStasi, of South Setauket, following an investigation by the agency’s Special Victims Section. DiStasi was taken into custody at Stony Brook University Hospital, where his son…
News
Long Island Man Who Sexually Abused Stepdaughter For Months Gets Decades In Prison
A Long Island man will spend decades behind bars for subjecting his young stepdaughter to months of sexual abuse. The 43-year-old Shirley man, who prosecutors are not naming to protect the victim’s identity, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Dec. 19. It followed his jury conviction for multiple sex crimes in November 2023. According to prosecutors, the man began abusing the girl in July 2016 when she was nine years old. The abuse would occur while her mother was at work. He often threatened the girl in order to keep the abuse quiet, investigators said…
News
'Let This Be Warning': Father From Long Island Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Young Daughters
A Long Island father will spend decades behind bars for sexually abusing his two young daughters. The 42-year-old Lindenhurst man, who prosecutors are not naming to protect the victims’ identities, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Dec. 18. It came months after a jury found him guilty of multiple sex crimes in September 2023. Earlier Report: 'Reprehensible': Lindenhurst Father Sexually Abused Young Daughters, Jury Finds According to prosecutors, the man went into his 8-year-old daughter’s bedroom and sexually abused the child in early 2016. Afte…
News
'Heinous Act': Dad's Friend Breaks Into Long Island Home, Sexually Abuses 4-Year-Old, Cops Say
A man is accused of breaking into a Long Island home and sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl. Darwin Barbacastillo, age 27, of Brentwood, was arraigned on sexual assault and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Nov. 15, stemming from an alleged break-in at a home in Bay Shore. Prosecutors said Barbacastillo entered the victim’s home through a back door at around 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, while the family was still sleeping. Once inside, he was reportedly caught on surveillance video wandering through the home and testing bedroom doors to see if they were locked. Eventually, …
News
New Details: Teacher Repeatedly Raped 16-Year-Old Student At Long Island School, DA Says
A teacher accused of repeatedly raping an underage student at a Long Island school has been formally charged. William Sperl, age 60, of Deer Park, was arraigned on seven counts of rape and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Sept. 12. According to prosecutors, Sperl met the victim in 2019 when she was 15 years old and a student in his audio production class at the Eastern Suffolk BOCES campus in Riverhead. Earlier Report: Teacher Sexually Abuses Underage Student At Riverhead School, Police Say The two began communicating through an application used by the school fo…
News
'Reprehensible': Long Island Father Sexually Abused Young Daughters, Jury Finds
A Long Island father could spend decades behind bars for sexually abusing his two young daughters. The 42-year-old Lindenhurst man, who prosecutors are not naming to protect the victims’ identities, was found guilty of multiple sex crimes by a Suffolk County jury on Friday, Sept. 8. According to prosecutors, the man went into his 8-year-old daughter’s bedroom and sexually abused the child in early 2016. Afterward, he told her to clean herself up and watched as she showered. The girl remained silent about the abuse until 2021, when she told her mother what had happened. Not long after, th…
News
'Heinous Actions': Long Island Dad Admits Sexually Abusing Daughter, Son For Years
A 36-year-old father from Long Island has admitted to subjecting his two children to years of sexual abuse. The West Babylon resident, who prosecutors are not naming to protect the victims’ identities, pleaded guilty to multiple sex crimes in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Sept. 6. According to prosecutors, the man began sexually abusing his daughter, now age 10, during visitation periods when she was still wearing diapers. The abuse continued when he moved to West Babylon in November 2020. The last incident occurred during a camping trip at the Peconic River campground in May 2022. …
News
Man Admits Raping 5-Year-Old Cousin For Years While Babysitting On Long Island
A 20-year-old Long Island man has pleaded guilty to raping his younger cousin for years while he was supposed to be babysitting, even going as far as threatening to kill her and her beloved pet cat if she told anyone, officials announced. On Friday, July 28, the Suffolk County District Attorney announced that the man, whose name has not been released, had entered his guilty plea for first-degree rape, a violent felony. According to court documents and the plea itself, the 20-year-old moved in and started living with the victim and his family in August 2018. While living with the family, …
News
Man Indicted For Sexually Abusing, Biting 6-Year-Old On Long Island: DA
A Long Island man has been indicted just two weeks after he allegedly assaulted and abused his neighbor’s 6-year-old child, authorities reported. Milton Jiron-Lara’s indictment was announced Thursday, July 6 by the Suffolk County District Attorney. The 53 Medford resident faces a total of five charges related to his alleged abuse of the young boy. The incident began when, on Saturday, June 24, Jiron-Lara attended a party at a neighbor’s house, the investigation alleges. As the celebration moved into the early hours of Sunday, June 25, Jiron-Lara allegedly snuck into a bedroom, where the…
News
Mistaken Identity? Accused Long Island Sexual Abuser Says He Mistook Child For Girlfriend
A Long Island man found guilty of abusing his girlfriend’s two children had provided the mother with multiple excuses for his behavior, authorities said. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday, May 9 that the man (whose identity has remained anonymous to protect his victims) was convicted by a jury on multiple counts of charges related to his inappropriately touching two minors. According to the DA’s office, the man lived with his girlfriend and her two children from September 2019 to January 2022, when the crimes were being committed. At night, after the you…
Police & Fire
Long Island Man Sentenced To 10 Years For Child Sexual Abuse: DA
A man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child for six years has now been sentenced to a decade behind bars, according to authorities. On Wednesday, April 12, Central Islip resident Elmer Martinez, age 44, received the sentence, with an additional 10 years of post-release supervision, a month after pleading guilty to the abuse, the Suffolk County District Attorney announced. Martinez, according to the investigation and his guilty plea, began the abuse in the fall of 2014. The victim was 10 years old at the time. The DA reported that Martinez touched the victim’s intimate parts a…
News
'Evil' Stepmom Gets 25 Years For Freezing Death Of NY 8-Year-Old
More than three years after an 8-year-old boy froze to death inside the garage of his New York home, a second adult is heading to prison for his murder. Long Island resident Angela Pollina, age 45, of Center Moriches, received the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, April 11. It followed her jury conviction for second-degree murder and other charges for her role in the death of Thomas Valva, her stepson. Earlier Report: Center Moriches Father's Ex-GF Convicted For Murder Of Boy Forced To Stay In Freezing Garage Valva died of …
Police & Fire
LI Man Gets 23 Years For Sexually Assaulting 10-Year-Old
A Long Island man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child, and who was accused of doing so for months, has been sentenced to over two decades in prison. Riverhead resident Jose Carabantes Pineda, age 37, of Riverhead, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, April 6. It followed his guilty plea to the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl, the Suffolk County DA announced. Earlier Report: Long Island Man Indicted For Alleged Sexual Abuse Of Child According to his guilty plea and investigation, on March 10, 2021, Carabantes Pineda took the girl to a R…
News
Long Island Man Admits Sexually Abusing Young Girl For Years
A Long Island man could spend a decade behind bars after admitting that he sexually abused a young girl for years. Elmer Martinez, age 44, of Central Islip, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual conduct against a child in Suffolk County Court on Friday, March 17. According to the District Attorney’s Office, Martinez admitted that he began molesting the girl in the fall of 2014, when she was 10 years old. Investigators said the abuse escalated to acts of sexual intercourse, including oral and anal sexual conduct. Martinez continued abusing the child for years, often threatening her to prev…
News
NY Father's Ex-Girlfriend Convicted For Murder Of 8-Year-Old Forced To Stay In Freezing Garage
The former girlfriend of the father of an 8-year-old boy who died after being forced to live in the garage of a New York home amid freezing temperatures has been convicted of murder after a jury trial. On Friday afternoon, March 10, a jury found Long Island resident Angela Pollina, age 45, of Center Moriches, guilty of second-degree murder and other related charges, for her role in the death of Thomas Valva, who died of hypothermia in 2020 after Thomas and his 10-year-old brother Anthony were forced to sleep in an unheated car garage in below-freezing temperatures. For months…
News
Registered Offender From Suffolk Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Child While Out On Parole
A Long Island man who is a registered sex offender has been sentenced for sexually abusing a child while he was out on parole. Paris Fyall, age 37, of Medford and formally of Coram, was sentenced on Friday, March 10 to 25 years to life in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing the child over a four-and-a-half-month period. “Today this defendant will bear the consequences for what he did to an innocent child,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said. “I hope that this sentence will provide a measure of closure and security to the victim, while also ensuring th…
News
Fugitive Who Sexually Exploited Child Busted Visiting Inmate At Long Island Jail, Police Say
A wanted fugitive who allegedly sexually exploited a child is behind bars after he was busted trying to visit an inmate at a Long Island jail. Gabriel Kantrow, age 32, was arrested outside the Suffolk County jail in Yaphank on Saturday, Feb. 27, according to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said Kantrow was a passenger in a vehicle that arrived at the facility on Saturday to visit an inmate. When the sheriff’s deputy manning the security booth requested identification from everyone inside the car, they learned that Kantrow had an arrest warrant out of Adams County, Colo…
News
Selden Man Accused Of Subjecting 3 Children To Years Of Sexual Abuse
A Long Island man was charged after investigators reported that he sexually abused three children over the course of several years. Robert Lynch, age 66, is charged with three counts of first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child and one count of first-degree sexual abuse, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced on Monday, Jan. 9. Investigators found that between 1997 and 2002, Lynch allegedly subjected three children between the ages of 7 and 13 to ongoing sexual abuse at his home at 569 Hawkins Road in Selden, the DA's Office said. “These victims, who are now…
News
'No More Bruises': NY Woman Took Part In Foster Boy’s Abuse Before His Murder, DA Says
The wife of a New York foster dad convicted of murdering their 4-year-old foster son not only knew the boy was being abused in the months before his death, but actively took part in it, prosecutors said. Schenectady County resident Latrisha Greene, age 27, of Rotterdam, was arraigned on multiple charges of perjury and endangering the welfare of a child in Schenectady County Court on Monday, Dec. 19. Earlier Report: 'Absolute Sociopath': Rotterdam Foster Dad Sentenced In Beating Death Of 4-Year-Old It came weeks after her husband, 29-year-old Dequan Greene, was sentenced to the maximum…
News
Ex
-nypd
Cop Sentenced For Murder Of 8-Year-Old Son
This story has been updated. Michael Valva, a former New York City Police Department officer, was sentenced for murdering his 8-year-old son on Long Island. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced on Thursday, Dec. 8, that 45-year-old Michael Valva was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the death of his son, Thomas Valva. Thomas died in January of 2020 from hypothermia after his father forced him to sleep in a freezing garage, prosecutors said. Thomas' brother, Anthony, was also forced to spend the night in the garage with no heat, no bathroom …
News
Instagram Post Led To NY Man's Sentence For Sexually Abusing 2 Young Girls
A New York man’s trip to prison for sexually abusing two young girls all started with a post on Instagram, prosecutors said. Long Island resident Manuel Cedillo, age 43, of Levittown, was sentenced to an aggregate term of 30 years behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Dec. 2. It followed his September 2022 jury conviction of two counts of course of sexual conduct against a child, both violent felonies. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Cedillo, who was known to the victims’ family, sexually abused two young sisters on separate occasions between 2011 and …
News
Ex
-nypd
Cop Convicted In Death Of 8-Year-Old Son Forced To Stay In Freezing Garage
A jury on Long Island convicted a former NYPD officer in the death of his 8-year-old son who was forced to stay in a freezing garage. Michael Valva, age 43, told authorities that the boy, Thomas Valva, had fallen in the driveway of his home in Center Moriches when he was found dead in the basement at around 9:40 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. On Friday, Nov. 4, following a six-week trial in Riverhead, the jury found Michael Valva guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of child endangerment. Thomas Valva died from hypothermia after his father forced him to sleep in a freezing gara…
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