A Massapequa man was indicted Tuesday for showing up at the Amityville home of a 12-year-old boy he’d connected with on a mobile app and who was alone in the house, raping the boy and then demanding money.
A grand jury indicted Marquise Utsey, 34, for two counts each of first-degree rape and sexual abuse, one count of robbery, and one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.
“The conduct alleged in this indictment reflects utterly reprehensible behavior and a profound betrayal of basic human decency,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “The defendant was a complete stranger who allegedly used a mobile app to gain access to a child for his own sick benefit.”
Prosecutors said Utsey and the child had connected on a social media and dating app, without specifying the platform or divulging details of what led up to that night.
Utsey showed up at the boy’s door Saturday evening, Dec. 6, prosecutors said, when the child’s parents weren’t home. Once inside, Utsey allegedly raped the boy, then demanded money. The tween, “fearing for his own safety,” found some cash in a family member’s bedroom and handed it over and Utsey left.
The 12-year-old spilled all to his parents when they got home, and they called police, who “soon located Utsey, placing him under arrest,” the DA’s statement said.
Utsey is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County. At his arraignment Tuesday he pleaded not guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis, who ordered him held on $750,000 cash, $1.5 million bond or $7.5 million partially secured bond while the case is pending. Utsey faces 25 years behind bars on the top count alone if convicted, the DA’s office said.
“Our office will hold anyone who exploits technology to prey on children fully accountable,” Tierney said. “We will pursue justice aggressively to protect our community and its most vulnerable members.”
