Members of the Englewood Police Department arrested a 44-year old man on Wednesday (February 6th) after learning that he had sexually assaulted (i.e., raped) an 8-year old girl. They then contacted the Special Victims Unit of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and a joint investigation was conducted, during which authorities learned that the same man, Pablo Roberto Gomez-Sanchez, had sexually assaulted a second juvenile female victim when she was between the ages of 15 and 18. Gomez-Sanchez is now being held at the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $275,000 bail. He has been ordered to surrender his passport and refrain from contact with the alleged victims.
The investigation resulted in 1 count of sexual assault, 1 count of criminal sexual contact, and 2 counts of endangering the welfare of a child (1 count for each victim) being filed against Gomez-Sanchez. For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled, “Englewood man accused of raping 8-year-old girl also accused of attack on teen.”
Of the charges Gomez-Sanchez is facing, sexual assault, a crime of the second degree, is seemingly the most serious. A crime of the second degree carries exposure of up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. Additionally, depending on the circumstances of the sexual assault (including, among other things, the age of the victim), 85% of any sentence imposed may have to be served without the benefit of parole, as per the No Early Release Act (“NERA”). While it is less serious, criminal sexual contact, a crime of the fourth degree, also carries exposure to a period of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison (up to 18 months).
What’s more, because there are 2 victims, Gomez-Sanchez could face consecutive sentences (1 sentence for each victim), meaning that the sentences would be added together – he would have to complete the first sentence before the second sentence begins. This is opposed to a concurrent sentence, meaning that both sentences would run at the same time.
A host of collateral consequences are also associated with certain sexual offense convictions, including Community Supervision for Life, Megan’s Law registration, and a mandatory psychosexual evaluation.
