Suffolk County Man Faces Predatory Sexual Assault Charges Against Child

Carlos Aguilar Reynoso, 27, was indicted and arraigned March 23 on charges of predatory sexual assault against a child after allegedly raping a five-year-old girl in Suffolk County on February 1, leaving her with serious internal injuries that required surgery at a specialized New York City children's hospital, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis ordered Aguilar Reynoso held without bail at the arraignment. Prosecutors said he faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count. His next court date is scheduled for April 27.

The full indictment charges Aguilar Reynoso with predatory sexual assault against a child, first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, and resisting arrest, according to the DA's office.

Aguilar Reynoso had been left to babysit the child on the afternoon of February 1 when the alleged assault occurred, prosecutors said. When the victim's mother returned from work, she noticed her daughter behaving unusually and initially believed she had soiled herself. The child then told her mother that Aguilar Reynoso had inserted his "privates" into her, according to the district attorney's office.

The mother called a friend, who drove both of them to a local hospital. Emergency physicians found the girl was still actively bleeding and had suffered internal injuries requiring specialized care. Hospital staff contacted police, who met the family and accompanied the child during transfer to a specialized children's hospital in New York City, where she underwent a sexual assault forensic examination and surgery to repair physical injuries. Evidence recovered during that examination was sent to the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory for analysis.

Aguilar Reynoso was arrested the following day, February 2, on child endangerment charges. Because DNA evidence had not yet confirmed the victim's account, no felony charges were added at that stage. Suffolk County Police simultaneously alerted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that Aguilar Reynoso, a Guatemalan national, was in the country illegally.

The procedural handling of his initial arrest drew attention for its precision. Under New York bail reform laws, Aguilar Reynoso was not eligible for bail on the child endangerment charge alone. A separate 2020 state law prohibits ICE from detaining individuals who are headed to or from a court appearance. Rather than bringing him before a judge on the misdemeanor charge, police issued a desk appearance ticket, which allowed them to release him from the local police station directly into ICE custody, bypassing any court appearance where ICE's access would have been restricted. Local authorities remained in contact with ICE throughout to ensure he was not deported before felony charges could be pursued.

On February 13, DNA evidence recovered from the victim's body was matched to DNA obtained from Aguilar Reynoso while he was in ICE custody, prosecutors said. That match cleared the way for the felony indictment handed up more than five weeks after the alleged assault.