Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that John Melvin Moses, Jr., 44, of Irvington pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree aggravated sexual assault against two boys, both under 14 years old.
Assistant Prosecutor Gigi Scoles, who handled the case, said Moses had been a friend of the victims’ family and intimately touched the boys for his own sexual gratification, rewarding them with permission to use his electronics for complying with his advances.
“This is a just resolution of the case because we’re getting a repeated sexual offender off the streets,” Scoles said. “Resolution by way of plea allows us to protect the victims’ privacy and avoid further trauma to them from a public trial.”
Moses is a registered sex offender with a 2006 conviction for 3rd degree endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct. Sentencing for the current case is scheduled for March 8, 2013.
The defendant is expected to be sentenced to a 10-year custodial term under the No Early Release Act, which requires that the defendant serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. Upon release, he must re-register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law and will receive lifetime parole supervision.
Prosecutor Murray commended Irvington Police Detective Gerard Malek and ECPO Special Victim Unit Detective Sabrina Howard-Mills for their role in preparing the case for trial.
