Sex offender, girlfriend indicted in
sex abuse of child in NJ
By Matt Gray, For NJ.com
WOODBURY -- A grand jury has indicted a Deptford couple on charges that they sexually abused a child over a 14-month period.
Gabriel Torres, 42, a registered sex offender, and his girlfriend, Mary B. Giannone, 51, a pediatric medical assistant, are accused of assaulting the girl when she was under the age of 13.
Torres allegedly used whips and a necktie as forms of sexual punishment, repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim and showed her child pornography on his cellphone, according to a criminal complaint.
Authorities have not described the relationship between the couple, who shared a home on Concord Avenue, and the child, but both are described in complaints as having responsibility for care of the victim.
Torres was indicted on charges including first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact. The alleged crimes occurred between October 2015 and December 2016.
Giannone was indicted on charges of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child involving alleged actions on Oct. 14, 2015.
The victim told investigators that Giannone "committed an act of sexual contact upon her while they played spin the bottle at the defendant's residence," according to the criminal complaint.
In an interview with police, Giannone allegedly admitted that "she touched the victim's breasts underneath her clothing" in that incident, and that she had the victim do the same to her.
Giannone worked as a medical assistant for Advocare Marlton Pediatrics for about a year, but was terminated in February for performance reasons unrelated to the criminal allegations, according to Chuck McQueary, chief operating officer for Advocare.
Following her arrest in April, the company asked employees to report any odd behavior they may have witnessed involving Giannone.
Torres, who formerly lived in North Carolina, was required to register as a sex offender in that state following his 2010 conviction in Tennessee on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.
In 2006, a Tennessee rental business found more than 400 child pornography images on a computer Torres had rented, according to a news report. He fled before police could arrest him and remained free until 2009 when he was found living in North Carolina.
Torres was sentenced to six years in prison, but was released in 2014. His North Carolina sex offender registry page indicates that he now lives in New Jersey.
Torres remains jailed in Salem County Correctional Facility, while Giannone was released in May pending court appearances.
NJ man accused of abusing kids with broom,
bottles will serve at least 3 years
By Matt Gray, For NJ.com
WOODBURY -- A Swedesboro man who was accused of sexually assaulting two children in separate cases in Gloucester and Salem counties will spend at least three years in prison before he is eligible for parole.
Aaron T. Fletcher, 28, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child as part of a plea deal in Gloucester County Superior Court, and was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison with no early eligibility for parole.
At the same time, he was sentenced to 6 years in the Salem County case, but is eligible for parole after three years. That means his aggregate sentence is 10 years, with parole eligibility after three years.
He was originally indicted in Gloucester County last year on two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault of victims less than 13 years old, five counts of second-degree sexual assault, six counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and resisting arrest. Those additional charges were dismissed.
"As part of the resolution, which included an appropriate sentence that was satisfactory to the prosecution and the victims -- who will avoid having to testify in a trial as a result -- the other counts of the indictment are to be dismissed at sentencing," GCPO spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld previously said.
Fletcher was arrested in Gloucester County in May 2016 on charges that he abused the kids over a two-year period between November 2013 and May 2015 using broom sticks and beer bottles. He allegedly fought with four police officers as he was arrested, according to his criminal complaint.
In the Salem case, he pleaded guilty to two second-degree charges of endangering the welfare of a child/sexual conduct with a child by a caretaker. The original charges in that case included aggravated sexual assault, terroristic threats, criminal restraint and employing a juvenile in a CDS distribution scheme.
As part of his sentences, Fletcher is required to register as a sex offender upon his release, which includes parole supervision for life.
These weren't his first encounters with the criminal justice system.
Fletcher served 132 days in jail for a 2014 incident in which he allegedly set a Woolwich Township house on fire with seven people inside. Initially charged with aggravated arson and attempted murder, he pleaded guilty to criminal mischief.
His plea dealing is really working for him. Not so well for his victims though. This is a sick man with no conscience; he needs to be put away for a long time.
He gets a plea deal because he so badly terrorized his victims. It's long past time the court system was made much more user-friendly for child victims. If children were less afraid to testify, these plea-deals wouldn't be such horrific free-passes for monstrous pedophiles.
Alleged phony college student indicted on
sex assault charge in NJ
By Matt Gray, For NJ.com
GLASSBORO -- A Plainfield man who allegedly posed as a college student and was charged earlier this year with burglary, theft, child porn and luring offenses has now been indicted on sexual assault charges.
A grand jury has indicted Anthony T. Strond, 23, on charges that he touched the genitals of a sleeping acquaintance in Glassboro in September of last year, then engaged in sexual intercourse with the woman after she refused multiple times to participate.
The victim told investigators that Strond held her down as she tried to refuse his advances, according to the criminal complaint. Strond told investigators that the encounter was consensual.
Strond was arrested in April on charges that he posed as a Rowan University student, befriended students, then stole their credit card details in order to make thousands of dollars in purchases.
He was jailed on burglary, fraud and theft charges in that case.
When police used a search warrant to seek additional evidence on his iPhone, they found that he allegedly carried on a month-long text message exchange with a juvenile girl, during which he obtained photos of her, sent her photos of his genitals and sent several explicit messages.
He tried several times to meet the juvenile and asked her to travel with him to California.
The search of his phone also turned up photos of credit cards and notes containing additional card numbers. Police used this information to identify other fraud victims.
Strond remains jailed in Salem County Correctional Facility following his initial arrest in April.
Third man charged with forcing runaway,
17, into prostitution in NJ
By Matt Gray, For NJ.com
WOODBURY -- Authorities have arrested a third man in a human trafficking investigation involving a 17-year-old victim, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced.
Joseph A. Samuel, 25, of New York City, was arrested Thursday on 13 charges related to trafficking and prostitution of a runaway teen while she was in a Gibbstown motel in December 2016.
Two others implicated in the case, Samuel's brother, Brandon R. Samuel, 26, of Gibbstown, and Ali Brown, 24, of West Deptford Township, were arrested earlier this month.
U.S. Marshals arrested Joseph Samuel at his workplace in New York City and transported him to the Queens Central Booking Station, where he is being held pending an extradition hearing.
His charges include first-degree human trafficking, second-degree promoting child prostitution, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and multiple conspiracy counts.
In announcing the first two arrests, prosecutors said the pair forced the victim, who had been reported missing as a runaway, into prostitution via backpage.com. They were staying at the Motel 6 in Gibbstown at the time.
The victim told investigators that she was forced to engage in sex acts with multiple partners and then had to turn over the money she was paid to her alleged traffickers.
Charges against Brown and Brandon Samuel include conspiracy to commit human trafficking, conspiracy to commit human trafficking by force, conspiracy to commit promoting prostitution of a juvenile, manufacturing child pornography and endangering the welfare of a child.
Gibbstown, NJ
Indicted New Orleans man accused of
raping young girl
By Ken Daley kdaley@nola.com,
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
A New Orleans East man accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl was charged with aggravated rape and other sex crimes in a four-count indictment handed up Thursday (July 20) by an Orleans Parish grand jury.
Nairobi Ward, 39, was charged with aggravated rape, sexual battery, and two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. The accuser in each of the alleged crimes is the same girl, who was sometimes in Ward's care and is now 14.
Ward has been jailed since his arrest on April 7. A magistrate commissioner found probable cause to continue detaining him after a preliminary hearing on June 19. Criminal District Judge Paul Bonin increased Ward's bond from $150,000 to $3 million after the indictment was read Thursday.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit sworn by NOPD child abuse detective Nijel Baddoo, the girl first disclosed the sexual abuse to her biological father and fraternal grandmother on April 22, 2016. Authorities were contacted, and the report said the girl was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center at Children's Hospital New Orleans. The girl told interviewers that Ward had sexually assaulted her in her bedroom.
The indictment alleges that Ward raped the young girl and committed indecent behavior with a juvenile on April 21, 2012, when the victim would have been 9. The other indecent behavior and sexual battery incidents comprising the remaining two counts are alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2016 and April 22, 2016.
Ward most recently was living in the 7900 block of Trout Road, in the Seabrook area of New Orleans East.
Maryland man charged with sexual abuse of
3-year-old at day-care center, police say
By Justin Wm. Moyer
A Maryland man was charged with sexual offenses in connection with the abuse of a 3-year-old girl at a day-care center in Montgomery County, police said.
In November, detectives learned that 56-year-old Raul Teroy Tuban of Montgomery Village allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact with the girl while she was at KinderCare Learning Center at 18000 Sioux Lane in Gaithersburg, where he worked as a cook, Montgomery County Police said in a statement. Tuban also worked as a driver for KinderCare, transporting children to and from the center, the statement said.
An investigation showed that the girl was taking a nap at KinderCare on Oct. 22 when she awoke and found Tuban touching her inappropriately, according to the statement. The girl told a family member about the incident later that day, and detectives were alerted on Nov. 22, police said.
After further investigation, Tuban was arrested at his home on July 14, according to police, and provided what they said were inconsistent statements about his contact with the child. He was charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of third-degree sexual offense against a juvenile female victim, police said, and was released on a $25,000 bond.
Police are trying to find out whether there are other allegations of abuse by Tuban, and they asked parents of children who attended KinderCare to talk to their children about their interactions with him. Anyone with further information can contact police at 240-773-5400.
Tumbling coach from Maine charged with
sexual abuse of a minor
A 43 year old gymnastics teacher who works in both Biddeford and Westbrook is accused of sexually abusing a minor.
NEWS CENTER , WCSH
KENNEBUNK, Maine — A 43-year-old Kennebunk man has been charged by Westbrook police with one count of sexual abuse of a minor.
Jeremy R. Link was arrested on Saturday. He was in the Cumberland County Superior Court Monday afternoon.
The District Attorney said the father of a 14-year-old girl who took gymnastics at Elite All Stars of Maine in Westbrook was looking for his daughter, when he walked in on Link sexually abusing the young girl.
According to his Facebook page, Link is a tumbling coach at Elite All Stars of Maine in Westbrook.
Judge Lance Walker set bail at $15,000 cash or $100,000 surety and ordered Link will have no contact with anyone under 16.
In a Facebook post, owner Julie Dvilinsky expressed her "shock, sadness and grief for the child and their family involved."
"This individual is no longer a staff member at our gym, and they are not a representative of our morals, values or what we teach, from staff to athletes."
Niagara Falls, NY man sentenced to 10 years
for sex abuse of boy
By Thomas J. Prohaska
Christopher P. Gordon of Niagara Falls was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, to be followed by 20 years of post-release supervision, for sexually abusing an adolescent boy over a two-year period.
Gordon, 46, of 60th Street, already was a registered Level 1 sex offender because of a 1999 sodomy conviction.
He pleaded guilty on April 25 to a reduced charge of attempted first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, after a jury had been selected for his trial on charges of abusing the boy from July 2013 to July 2015, when the victim was 12 to 14 years old.
The plea deal was made after Assistant Public Defender Christopher A. Privateer learned from First Assistant District Attorney Holly E. Sloma that a second male accuser had come forward against Gordon.
State Supreme Court Justice John L. Michalski imposed the sentence.
Oklahoma man arrested for child sexual abuse
Jessica Lane
A man from Amber has allegedly admitted to child sexual abuse to a victim under the age of 12.
Cody James Farnum was questioned by the Amber Police Department and a state investigator on July 19.
According to an incident report, Farnum confessed to sexually abusing the child at his home in Amber between 2012 and 2014. The crimes Farnum admitted to include oral sex and touching the child's genitals the report said.
Farnum was arrested and transported to the Grady County Jail on charges of child sexual abuse to a victim under the age of 12 and faces a $500,000 bond.
Ohio man facing 20 charges in sex abuse case
Jona Ison, Reporter
CHILLICOTHE - An Arch Street man is now facing 20 felony charges alleging child sex abuse of a girl since 2014.
Scott M. Camelin, 43, last known address of 241 Arch St., was secretly indicted on the first 19 charges - 10 counts of rape and nine counts of sexual battery - by a grand jury on May 19. He was subsequently arrested and has been held on $500,000 bond since, according to court records.
On Friday, a grand jury indicted him on another count of sexual battery against the same victim, said Todd Bost, an investigator with the Ross County Prosecutors Office. Although the allegations were known at the time of the initial indictment, the charge wasn't pursued due to a large number of charges but Bost said the assistant prosecutor assigned to the case asked they pursue the additional sexual battery charge.
According to Bost, the allegations came to light after the victim told her middle school guidance counselor in March she had been being raped and sexually assaulted since July 2014. If convicted, Camelin faces a possible life sentence.
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