Bedford Hills Man Sentenced For Sexually Abusing A Child
A Bedford Hills man will spend the next 12 years in prison after sexually abusing a young girl.
Julio Cortez, 41, appeared before State Supreme Court Justice Barry Warhit on Friday where he was sentenced to 12 years in a state prison, with 15 years’ post-release supervision. Cortez will also have to register as a sex offender, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Last October, Cortez pleaded guilty to sexual conduct against a child in the first degree, a class B felony.
On Oct. 7, 2018, the Bedford Police Department received a phone call from a teenager girl who said her classmate was being sexually abused. The teen had been FaceTiming with her friend and saw an adult, who was not part of her family, in the room with her friend, officials said.
When the teen pressed her friend about who the man was, the victim said the man was a neighbor who had been sexually abusing her for years when her parents weren’t home. The victim was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center, officials said, with Cortez later admitting to police his sexual relationship with the child.
Special Prosecutions Division Assistant District Attorney Amit Parab prosecuted the case
