Salvadoran Man Faces Justice After 20 Years on the Lam

Never giving up on the case, investigators with the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office have returned a Salvadoran man to the United States to face justice after being charged with raping his stepdaughter 20 years ago. According to DA Raymond Tierney, the 47-year-old defendant fled the country in 2003 after being charged with repeated sexual assaults against the 14-year-old girl.

“Thanks to our partnerships with law enforcement agencies here and around the world, our message is clear to those who would prey upon children. There is no safe place for you to hide,” Tierney said. “No matter how long it takes, we will do everything in our power to find you and bring you back to Suffolk County to be held accountable for your actions.”

According to Tierney, the defendant had locked his stepdaughter in a room and forcibly raped her while her mother was at work. He threatened to kill the victim or her mother if she told anyone what he had done. He continued to rape and sexually abuse her for more than a year until the victim told her friend about the abuse and had the presence of mind to record a conversation between herself and the defendant in which he admitted to having intercourse and taking her for an abortion after she became pregnant. The victim’s friend gave the recording to her mother, who shared it with the victim’s mother. Upon learning about the abuse of her daughter, the mother confronted the defendant, and he fled from the United States before the police were notified and able to apprehend him.

Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney File Photo

In 2021, the district attorney’s office was made aware that the defendant may be living in El Salvador. Following an investigation, the District Attorney’s Office began extradition proceedings to return him to Suffolk County with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and Suffolk County Police Department detectives. He was arraigned by County Court Judge Karen M. Wilutis, who ordered the defendant remanded during the pendency of the case.

The District Attorney’s Office is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the sexual assault victim. He was charged with:

Four counts of Rape in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony.

One count of Sodomy in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony.

Four counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, a Class D violent felony.

One count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Grier of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, with investigative assistance from the United States Marshals Service and Detective Alex Beyrer of the Suffolk County Police Department.