Plea Bargain Reached In Dix Hills Father's Abuse of Daughter
By Andrew Smith, Staff Writer
Originally published in Newsday, June 1, 2002
A Dix Hills man admitted in court Friday that he had engaged in sex acts with his daughter since before she could walk, and that he made photographs of her—and the girl herself—available to other men.
Newsday is not naming the man, 36, because doing so would identify his daughter, now 5. His case unnerved even prosecutors used to dealing with gruesome child abuse cases.
As part of a plea bargain in which the man will be sentenced to 18 years in prison, he pleaded guilty to first-degree engaging in a course of sexual conduct with a child, three child pornography felonies and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
"This is the end of a very troubling case," said Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney. "The plea represents closure for the child, and spares her further abuse by having to testify at a trial."
Suffolk County Court Judge Louis Ohlig said he was glad to avoid a trial.
The man's attorney, Robert Gottlieb of Commack, said his client feels horrible for what he's done. "He has been destroyed over this," he said. "He's realized for a very long time that he was wrong."
Gottlieb would not say what drove his client to abuse his daughter, who is now in foster care.
During questioning by Tierney, the man said he engaged in sexual conduct, including oral sex, with the girl since she was several months old. He said he took pictures of her engaging in sexual activity and made them available to other men over the Internet.
One of those men, Bruce Wernick of Valley Stream, is charged with sodomizing the girl. The girl's father admitted leaving her alone with Wernick several times, knowing Wernick had a sexual interest in children.
As part of the plea bargain, the man agreed to testify against Wernick if necessary. Wernick's attorney, Paul Gianelli of Hauppauge, declined to comment.
The man was arrested in October after he logged onto a chat room and offered to swap his daughter with other men who had young daughters. A man who responded, claiming to have a 9-year-old daughter, was actually a Suffolk detective.
While online, police said the man boasted about what he'd done to his daughter and said he couldn't wait until she was big enough for him to have sexual intercourse with her. Authorities said they believe the man was training her to be a sex slave.
"She would know what to do with other men?" the detective asked online.
"She knows from when we play," the man replied, police said. The man said he had told his daughter they would meet other men soon and "have fun."
