An Orange County man who sexually abused two boys over a decade while living in Clarkstown has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison, the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office announced.
James Valentine, 58, on Monday, July 27, got the sentence Rockland Judge Kevin Russo promised him earlier this year when he pleaded guilty to first- and second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child.
“Today’s sentence removes a dangerous individual from our community and holds him accountable for the devastating harm he caused,” Rockland District Attorney Thomas Walsh II said in statement. “While no sentence can undo the pain suffered by the victims, we hope this outcome provides a measure of justice and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us.”
Valentine sexually abused the boys between 2008 and 2016 starting when they were 8- and 12-years-old respectively and he was living in Valley Cottage. He subsequently moved to Cornwall in Orange County, where an investigation began last year when state police were notified that he touched two 15-year-old boys inappropriately at his home.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that the only arrest of Valentine there, was in May 2025 when he was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, in connection with text messages he had sent some boys. He pleaded guilty to that last month.
In the Rockland case, Valentine will also be subject to five years of supervision following his release and must register as a sex offender.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Prison term for former Valley Cottage resident who molested boys
Reporting by Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
