Matthew Maiello, a 31 year old man who formerly directed the youth ministry at St. Raphael's Roman Catholic Church in East Meadow, was charged with sexually abusing two teenagers he met through the parish. Maiello, of 39 Grove Street in Lynbrook, was arrested in the parking lot of Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale on April 4, 2003. He had been an English teacher there for nearly two years, since leaving his job at the church. There have been no similar incidents reported at the high school. Cops say Maiello molested two girls in his youth ministry office and elsewhere at the church, as well as the girl's house and his Lynbrook home, where he lives with his parents. Although the alleged crimes occurred as far back as 1999, the now 19 year old girl who has accused him only recently complained to police. Maiello started molesting her when she was 15 years old and a year later began having sex with a then 15 year old boy. Parishioners at St. Raphel's Catholic Church were asked "to pray for" Maiello.
Nassau police have filed additional charges against Maiello after two more teenage victims came forward with reports of alleged sexual abuse. Detectives charged him with five additional statutory charges of third degree sodomy and one count of third degree rape after investigating the new accounts of the sexual encounters he allegedly had with two female victims, who were 15 at the time of the abuse. He has been ordered held in lieu of $300,000 bond or $150,000 cash for the new charges.
In August, Maiello admitted in court, that he sexually abused the four teenagers he met through his parish work. He told Nassau County Court Judge Donald DeRiggi that he had sex with three girls and a boy in his parish office between April 200 and April 2001. Sentencing had been scheduled for September 5. Two of the teens are angry that their abuser may be sentenced to as little as a year in prison, and at most 3 years. A female victim said, "He took away my childhood, I can't get those years back." The male victim said, "I feel like Nassau County let us down." The teenagers said the July plea deal Maiello struck with Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon's office let Maiello off too lightly. And, through their attorney, they failed to persuade DeRiggi to impose consecutive sentences which would have been 4 to 12 years.
Maiello pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree rape and three counts of third degree sodomy - the most serious of the crimes against him. He walked out of state prison this week after serving 2 years and 4 months for having sex with the four teenagers to whom he was supposed to be giving spiritual guidance. He is a level three sex offender, the most serious category. He will report to authorities every 90 days and will return to prison if he violates any condition set down by the state. At a news conference, alongside the victim and her family, was Laura Ahearn, an advocate for child sex abuse victims, who pointed to Maiello's release as an example of why sentencing laws for sex offenders should be changed so those like him stay in longer and can't get out early.
She said, judges shouldn't have discretion when it comes to sex offenders and should be required to give them consectutive sentences of at least one year for every sex crime. Ahearn also said sex offenders shouldn't be allowed to earn so-called "good time" that enables them to leave prison early on a conditional release, as Maiello did on his sentence of 1 to 3 years.
(New York)