Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  CONTACT:     Kristy dosReis

April 14, 2021                                                                                       (401) 274-4400 x2234

                                                                                                               This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                                                                                                            Twitter @AGNeronha

 

 

Providence man sentenced to serve 7 years in state prison for child molestation

 

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve seven years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading to molesting a female victim in 2018 at a home on Douglas Avenue.

 

Jeffri Espejo-Yanez (age 38) pleaded nolo contendere to one count of second-degree child molestation.

 

At a hearing before Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough, the court sentenced Espejo-Yanez to 20 years at the ACI with seven years to serve and the balance of the sentence suspended with probation. Espejo-Yanez was ordered by the court to register as a sex offender, complete sex offender counseling, and is subject to community supervision. The court also issued a no contact order between Espejo-Yanez and his victim.

 

“This Office prosecutes cases like this one all too often – where a ‘trusted’ adult sexually exploits a young child,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Such criminal conduct causes irreparable harm to victims and their families. I have been so impressed by the victim’s strength, and grateful to her and her family for coming forward and for their willingness to see this case through to the end.”

 

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that in March 2018, Espejo-Yanez molested a female victim under the age of 14, who was known to him, at a home in Providence.

 

“This is one of many incidents where a juvenile is victimized by a trusted adult, causing severe trauma to both the victim and their family,” said Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré. “I commend the victim for coming forward, as the exploitation of a child is one of the most reprehensible crimes that one can commit. I thank the Providence Police Department Special Victims Unit for their investigation into this incident and the Attorney General’s Office for their prosecution of this case, which resulted in removing the defendant from our streets, preventing him from causing harm to additional innocent victims.”

 

Special Assistant Attorney General Bethany Laskowski and Detective Rich Mendez of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of this case.

 

###

 

Follow ud on social media! 
A retaliatory strike against Iran has been launched by Israel. U.S. officials confirm missiles have struck a number of locations inside Iran, with no word yet on whether there were any casualties. Several explosions were reported near an airbase in the Iranian city of Isfahan, home to a number of sites linked to Iran's nuclear program.        Former President Trump's hush money criminal trial in New York City has found its 12 jurors. Now six alternates must be selected. That process resumes later this morning.        A near miss on a runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, DC has sparked a FAA investigation. It happened Thursday morning when a plane crossed the runway as another was starting its take off. The planes - one a Southwest flight, the other JetBlue - reportedly came within just 300 feet from each other.       Taylor Swift's new album has finally dropped. "The Tortured Poets Department" is already getting praise from critics, who are calling it "wildly unguarded," a "cathartic confession" and "unapologetically dramatic."        Writers for "Sesame Street" have voted to strike. This, after the Writers Guild of America held a vote that saw all 35 writers authorize a strike if an agreement on a new contract can't be reached. The NHL's Arizona Coyotes are moving to Utah. The league's Board of Governors approved the sale of the team to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith Thursday. The franchise will play in Salt Lake City starting next season.       

Old News Archives