A Franklin Lakes man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting eight minors in Sussex County NJ has been sentenced to a decade behind bars.

The suspect is a 31-year-old man who lived in Franklin Lakes NJ and worked as a special education consultant in Sussex County, New Jersey. He committed the sex crimes in a number of municipalities, including Lafayette, West Milford, Ringwood, Verona, and Wantage.

While working as an unlicensed behavioral therapist, the suspect touched the genitals of children under his care. The victims were all under the age of 13 at the time of the sexual abuse.

The suspect was also charged with health care fraud for submitted false insurance claims to insurance companies and claiming reimbursement for treatment that he did not provide.

The suspect’s crimes were discovered when the sex abuse victims came forward and authorities conducted an investigation.

The suspect was able to reach work out a plea deal with Sussex County prosecutors that allowed him to avoid maximum penalties in the case. In exchange for the suspect pleading guilty to eight counts of sexual assault and one count of health care claims fraud, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office agreed to recommend a sentence of 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. If the suspect had gone to trial and been convicted on all of the criminal charges, he would have faced 110 years in prison.

For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Special Education Consultant Gets 10 Years for Sexually Assaulting Kids, Fraud.”