BRONX MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SEXUALLY ABUSING A CHILD AT ROCKLAND LAKE STATE PARK
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced today the plea of guilty by Francisco Lopez-Gomez, 45 of the Bronx, New York to the sole count of the indictment charging him with Sexual Abuse in the First Degree (Class D Felony).
On June 15, 2017, the victim who was seven years old at the time, attended a birthday party with her family on the grounds of Rockland Lake State Park. The victim was changing out of her bathing suit in a family member’s vehicle, when the defendant approached the vehicle, entered, and then sexually abused the seven-year-old child.
The sexual abuse was not reported until years later and once reported, the New York City Police Department, New York State Police, and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit investigated the matter. At the time of the defendant’s arrest, he was serving a probationary sentence for a conviction for Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Class A Misdemeanor) from March 29, 2021, from Bronx County, New York. Pursuant to his conviction here in Rockland County, the defendant will have to register as a sex offender.
District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said, “The plea of guilty by the defendant in this case should send a clear message to any individual who has or is sexually abusing a child that you will be investigated and prosecuted for your horrific actions. My Office will continue to work tirelessly to protect innocent children from predators and seek justice for all victims of sexual abuse.”
Sentencing on this matter has been scheduled for June 18, 2024, before the Honorable Anne B. Bianchi. The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police with assistance from the New York City Police Department and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit.
The case was prosecuted by Supervising Assistant District Attorney Gerard M. Damiani III.
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