West Babylon man convicted of sexually abusing child, faces 25 years

A West Babylon man built trust through Zoom during the COVID shutdown, starting with games, superheroes and television before prosecutors said the contact turned sexual and then moved into the home. The abuse, according to Suffolk County prosecutors, began when the child was between 9 and 12 years old and was carried out by someone the family knew well enough to invite into babysitting duties.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said a jury convicted the 29-year-old on May 22, 2026, of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child after a trial before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei. The defendant faces up to 25 years in prison and is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on June 24, 2026. Tierney’s office did not name him, citing the need to protect the child victim’s identity.

Prosecutors said the pattern escalated gradually. What started as online interactions during the shutdown later included pornographic images and videos while the defendant inappropriately touched himself. The victim’s mother later began bringing the child to his home to babysit while she worked, and prosecutors said the abuse continued there. The case is a stark example of how grooming can unfold over months or years, with a trusted adult using access, secrecy and repeated contact to blur boundaries before the child recognizes what is happening.

The victim eventually confronted the defendant directly in April 2023, and the abuse stopped, but the emotional damage did not. By February 2024, the child was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks from keeping the secret, prosecutors said, before telling her mother and setting the investigation in motion. The case was investigated by Detective Megan Flynn of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Section and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Alexandra Guidarelli and Ashley Moruzzi of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau.

For Suffolk families, the case underscores warning signs that should never be dismissed, including secrecy, sudden anxiety, panic attacks and a child’s discomfort around a trusted adult. Residents who suspect abuse can call the Suffolk County child-abuse hotline at 1-800-342-3720 or the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child.

The conviction also comes as Suffolk County continues to overhaul child-protection practices after the Thomas Valva case, with County Executive Ed Romaine and Tierney pushing reforms aimed at better coordination and access to information. Tierney, who took office in 2022, has made child abuse and domestic violence a central focus of his office as county officials keep pressure on the systems meant to protect children before abuse becomes a criminal case.