A Rockland teenager who was sexually abused over several years told her abuser that he ruined her life and urged a judge to sentence him to far more than he was promised.
She spoke in Rockland County Court on Wednesday, Aug. 26, before Joel Deutsch was sentenced to the minimum, 10 years to life in prison.
Deutsch, 35, pleaded guilty in May to charges including predatory sexual assault of a child, a felony that could have landed him in prison for 25 years to life. At the time, Russo's promise of the minimum was criticized by District Attorney Thomas Walsh II as too lenient.
Assistant District Attorney Kaitlin DeLuca on Wednesday again asked for the maximum sentence.
"(Deutsch) used his proximity to this minor child to violate her trust and the innocence
of her childhood repeatedly over the course of several years," DeLuca said.
The girl was only seven when the abuse began in the village of Wesley Hills and over the years she was subjected to multiple instances of sexual touching, intercourse and oral sex.
"You ruined my childhood; you ruined my life," she told Deutsch in court.
She urged Russo to send Deutsch to prison for 70 years - 10 for each of the years the abuse continued.
Deutsch did not speak when given the opportunity.
Defense lawyer Michael Bongiorno said in a phone interview later that his client expressed remorse to probation officers for a pre-sentence report. He said the judge's sentence was justified but would not elaborate.
In a news release, Walsh reiterated that the maximum sentence was warranted "because the gravity of these crimes demanded it," and commended the girl for her "powerful" victim impact statement and her courage.
"The defendant committed persistent and predatory sexual crimes against this child," he said in a statement. "The victim was ready and willing to confront her abuser and testify against him... She is a testament to the courage and perseverance of victims who deserve justice. Our thoughts and prayers remain with her on her path of recovery.”
Photo journalist Seth Harrison contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: DA assails minimum sentence in years long Rockland child sex abuse case
