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! 
The abortion issue was front and center Wednesday. First, the U.S. Supreme Court heard an abortion case for the first time since it overturned Roe v. Wade. The case is over whether Idaho's near-total abortion ban conflicts with a federal law requiring hospitals to provide patients emergency care. Arizona's House of Representatives also voted to repeal a Civil War-era abortion law that bans nearly all abortions, and the bill now heads to the state Senate.       Former President Trump's claim that he can't face prosecution for anything done while in the Oval Office if he's not first impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate goes before the Supreme Court on Thursday. Trump's attorneys will try to convince the Court that Trump shouldn't face charges for alleged election interference.        President Biden's campaign will continue to use TikTok despite the recent bill that could lead to its ban. On Wednesday, the President signed a foreign aid package that also laid the groundwork to ban TikTok in the U.S. The same day, a Biden campaign official told reporters that TikTok is still "one of many places we're making sure our content is being seen by voters."       A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President Harris is being hospitalized after showing what is being described as "distressing behavior" Monday morning. The incident took place at Joint Base Andrews, with Harris not present at the time. According to CBS News, the agent was speaking incoherently, eventually physically provoking another officer.        The U.S. Department of Agriculture says any dairy cows transported across state lines must be tested for bird flu. In March, an outbreak of the bird flu was found in herds of dairy cows for the first time and just this week fragments of the virus were found in pasteurized milk.       The MTV Video Music Awards are returning to New York. For the first time since 2021, the show will be back in New York and this time it will take place on Long Island at the UBS Arena in Elmont.        

Old News Archives