On Friday, a 43-year-old Morris County man was sentenced to 26 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a young girl.

In February, a jury deliberated for three (3) days before finding Luis Soto guilty on two (2) counts of first degree aggravated sexual assault. Although Mr. Soto maintained his innocence throughout the trial and denied touching the victim in any way that was inappropriate, the jury believed the victim’s testimony that Mr. Soto had forced her to have sex with him more than 80 times over a five-year period.

At sentencing in Morris County Superior Court, the judge noted “the psychological harm” caused by Mr. Soto and endured by the young victim.

In New Jersey, the penalties for aggravated sexual assault are set forth in N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a. According to the statute, aggravated sexual assault is a first degree felony, punishable by a term of incarceration of between 10 and 20 years in New Jersey State Prison. Additionally, the No Early Release Act (NERA) applies, meaning that a person convicted of aggravated sexual assault must serve no less than 85% of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Because the jury found Mr. Soto guilty on two counts of aggravated sexual assault, he could have been sentenced to up to 40 years in state prison.

For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Morris County Man Gets 26 Years for Sexual Assaults on Girl.“