Bay Shore Man Gets 22 Years For Sexually Abusing Girlfriend’s Daughter, DA Says

BAY SHORE, NY — A Bay Shore man convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing his girlfriend’s daughter beginning when she was 8 years old was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

The 39-year-old man, whose name is being withheld by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office to protect the identity of the child victim, was sentenced Oct. 6 after a jury found him guilty in March of first-degree Course of sexual conduct against a child and related charges, DA said.

He will also serve 20 years of post-release supervision following his prison sentence, prosecutors said.

According to evidence presented at trial, the defendant was dating the victim’s mother in June 2020 when he began sexually abusing the girl while her mother was at work, DA said.

The abuse began when the girl, who was 8 at the time, asked the defendant to help her download a video game on her phone, prosecutors said.

The defendant instead invited her to sit on his lap to play a game on the television, which prosecutors said was part of an effort to groom the child. The grooming later escalated into sexual abuse, DA said.

The abuse continued until December 2024, according to prosecutors.

Immediately after an act of sexual abuse that month, the girl confided in one of her best friends, DA said. Her friend encouraged her to tell an adult, and the victim then told her grandmother, who informed the girl’s mother.

Her mother then contacted police, prosecutors said.

Following a jury trial before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis, the defendant was convicted on March 23 of first-degree Course of sexual conduct against a Child, a Class B violent felony; 2 counts of second-degree sexual abuse, Class A misdemeanors; and endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor.

He was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision.

The defendant was represented by attorney Matthew Tuohy, who was not immediately available for comment.

“The young victim in this case bravely faced her abuser in court,” Tierney said. “Because of her courage, this defendant was found guilty and will deservedly serve a substantial prison sentence. I commend the prosecutors in my Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau for their tireless pursuit of justice for Suffolk children.”