By Tiffany Williams –
QUEENS, N.Y. — A Queens Village man who repeatedly sexually abused and raped his young daughter has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of rape and other crimes.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the sentence Monday, describing a pattern of abuse that began when the child was 10 years old and visiting her father during school breaks.
The abuse escalated after the defendant became the child’s primary custodial parent.
The 60-year-old man was convicted by a jury on June 29 of rape in the first degree, course of sexual conduct against a child in the first degree and incest in the first degree following a six-day trial.
Supreme Court Justice Ira Margulis sentenced him on July 29 to 25 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision.
He will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.
“This defendant violated the most fundamental duty a parent can hold by inflicting harm on his young daughter. It is because the incredibly courageous survivor came forward that the defendant has now been held accountable for his reprehensible behavior. This jury conviction is a message to individuals who seek to abuse children in Queens County that they will be aggressively prosecuted by my office,” District Attorney Katz said.
According to the charges and trial testimony, the defendant’s daughter began traveling from out of state to visit him during school breaks around May 2021.
In January 2022, the defendant called his then 10-year-old daughter into his bedroom.
Prosecutors said he removed her clothing and raped her.
The abuse continued during later custodial visits, occurring approximately every few months.
In July 2023, the defendant became the primary custodian of his then 11-year-old daughter, and she moved into his Queens Village home.
Prosecutors said the sexual assaults then became far more frequent.
The defendant raped the child regularly, sometimes multiple times in a single week, according to the evidence presented at trial.
The abuse continued until May 2024, when the child disclosed what had happened to a family member.
The defendant was arrested following that disclosure.
The case ended with the jury holding the man responsible for the repeated abuse and the court imposing decades of incarceration and supervision.