Peekskill man sentenced to 16 years in prison for engaging in sexual conduct with a child
A Peekskill man was sentenced to 16 years in state prison Tuesday for engaging in sexual conduct with a child for nearly a year.
Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said Luis Urgiles, 46, was working as a cab driver in Peekskill when he met the victim and her family while they were his passengers in 2021.
Rocah said Urgiles befriended the family and began grooming the victim, who was 10 years old at the time, in order to sexually abuse her. He allegedly repeatedly subjected the victim to multiple sexual acts between October 2021 and July 2022.
Urgiles was arrested by Peekskill police on Oct. 30, 2022, after the victim reported the abuse. An investigation by the Westchester Institute for Human Development’s Children’s Advocacy Center and the DA Office's Special Prosecutions Division identified him as the suspect.
Urgiles was found guilty by a jury on March 19 of first-degree sexual conduct against a child and endangering the welfare of a child. Because of a prior felony conviction, he was also sentenced to 20 years of post-release supervision and is required to register as a sex offender.
"The survivor in this case, just a young child, demonstrated remarkable resilience and courage in coming forward. Sexual abusers often prey upon their victims by exploiting their role as a person in a position of trust," Rocah said. "As we commemorate Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month during April, I remind Westchester residents that my Office is fully committed to bringing sexual predators to justice, as we have done today, and ask everyone to speak up and report any suspected abuse.”
Anyone who may have been a victim or may have information about other possible victims of the defendant should contact the DA Office's Special Prosecutions Division at (914) 995-3000. Language assistance is available.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Peekskill NY man gets 16 years in prison for sexually abusing child
