YONKERS OFFICIAL ADMITS HE ABUSED BOY HE MET ONLINE

James Surdoval, 42, has pleaded guilty to sodomizing a 15 year old Westchester County boy who he met through the Internet, also to charges of possessing pornographic images of children.  Surdoval was chief of staff to Terence M. Zaleski, the former Yonkers Mayor.  Judge Kenneth H. Lange of Westchester County Court said he intended to sentence Surdoval to five years' probation with special conditions for sex offenders even though the sodomy count alone carried a maximum sentence of four years in prison.  The judge did not explain how he arrived at that sentence.

Note: In a 9/8/99 article it was reported that Patrick Murphy, 45, was charged with 18 counts of third-degree sodomy, one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of third-degree reckless endangerment.  According to New York Times, the final count accuses Murphy, who is infected with HIV, of not using a condom during sex acts and not disclosing his health status.

Murphy's bail was set at $20,000.  Murphy worked in pubic relations for Pepsico in Purchase, New York.

They were both indicted on charges of sexually molesting a Westchester County teenager they had met separately on the Internet.