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Carlos Fernando Pinola Pop, 41, of Kingston, was found guilty of the Sept. 2023 incident and sentenced to four and a half years.
In addition, Pinola Pop will have to register with the New York State Sex Offender Registry; he may also be subjected to deportation under federal law, said Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji.
The District Attorney's office said that during the incident, Pinola Pop subjected a child to sexual contact by placing his hands and penis on her vagina.
The victim told her mother, who informed a third-party community member. That person contacted the police and was arrested by the Kingston Police in Oct. 2023.
Pinola Pop admitted the sexual contact to the Kingston Police Department and later admitted his guilt during his plea in open court, the DA's Office said.
During an interview with the Ulster County Probation Department, Pinola Pop failed to take accountability for his actions and stated that he only accidentally touched the victim, they added.
His false statement to the Probation Department resulted in the court imposing a higher sentence than the one initially agreed upon.
“Ulster County DA’s Special Victims & Intimate Partner Violence team is specifically dedicated to the aggressive prosecution of these cases and works with our local law enforcement agencies who investigate and arrest such offenders," said Nneji.
Nneji said the community’s role in "see something, say something" is integral to protecting children.
"These crimes cause lasting and permanent damage to the victim and the victim’s family and degrade the sense of safety and security for all of us," he added.
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