SPRING VALLEY – A 52-year-old man faces nine years in state prison for raping a girl when she was 6 years old, the Rockland District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday, July 8.
Juan Buezo-Hernandez of Airmont pleaded guilty on July 3 to first-degree rape before County Court Judge Kevin Russo in the Rockland Courthouse in New City.
The rape occurred during the summer of 2015 at a home in Spring Valley.
Buezo-Hernandez engaged in vaginal sexual intercourse with the child, District Attorney Thomas Walsh said in a news release.
A decade later, in early 2025, the child told a family member about the abuse, Walsh said. The family member told the Spring Valley police, who investigated with assistance from the District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit.
Buezo-Hernandez faces nine years in prison and five years post-release supervision when sentenced by Russo on Oct. 8. As a result of his conviction, Buezo-Hernandez will be registered as a sex offender with New York State. A Sex Offender Registration hearing will be held before his release from prison.
Prosecutors said the sentencing range for a first-degree rape conviction is five years to 25 years in state prison.
The District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that prosecutors entered into the agreed-upon disposition in the interest of sparing the young woman from having to testify before her abuser and be subject to lengthy cross-examination. Her family approved of the sentence, the statement said.
The case was prosecuted by Supervising Assistant District Attorney Emily McNiff.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Airmont man admits to raping 6-year-old girl, faces 9 years in prison
Reporting by Steve Lieberman, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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