Crime & Safety
NJ Man Sexually Assaulted 3 Women In Newark, Sentenced To Prison
He told the victims that their families were in danger from gangs – and they'd be protected if they had sex with him, prosecutors say.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A New Jersey man was sentenced to 60 years in state prison after he sexually assaulted three women in Newark, authorities announced last week.
Salaam Leeks, 39, of Newark was convicted on three counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault in June 2025, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor’s office said Leeks sexually assaulted three victims in 2015 and 2016 in Newark:
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“The defendant falsely claimed that the victims and their families were in danger from a street gang. He told each victim that engaging in sex with him would protect them from harm. As a result, the victims engaged in sexual acts with the defendant under coercion without their freely given consent.”
Leeks is not eligible for parole because he was on parole supervision for life when he committed these offenses, prosecutors said.
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