Prison Sentence Handed Down in Retail Abuse Case

A man has been sentenced to prison following his conviction for sexually abusing three separate underage girls during retail outings in New York. Jimmy Harry Velasquez Gomez, 44, was sentenced on Friday, October 9, to three concurrent terms of six years in prison. Following his incarceration, he will be subject to 10 years of supervised release, as reported by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Velasquez Gomez, a Honduran national, entered a guilty plea on August 27 to three counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney emphasized the severity of the crimes, stating: «Every parent should be able to let their young child walk to the next aisle at a store without fear. This defendant violated that basic trust three times, targeting young girls in places where they should have been safe.»


Details of the Incidents

According to the district attorney’s office, the incidents occurred at a T.J. Maxx location on Long Island:

  • April 2025: The defendant approached a 7-year-old girl in the toy aisle after she had momentarily stepped away from her mother. Prosecutors stated that he grabbed the child's buttocks. The girl immediately alerted her mother, who contacted law enforcement after failing to find the suspect.
  • September 2025: A similar encounter occurred involving an 11-year-old girl. While the child was looking for a gift, she observed Velasquez Gomez nearby acting inappropriately. Prosecutors allege that he then approached her, lifted her sweatshirt, and grabbed her buttocks, prompting the girl to run to her parents for help.
  • Additional Evidence: Investigators utilized surveillance footage from the store, which confirmed the defendant's presence during the incidents. Recordings also purportedly showed him touching his genital area while observing another 9-year-old victim.

Legal and Immigration Status

In addition to the prison sentence, protective orders have been established to ensure the defendant remains away from the victims. Velasquez Gomez is also required to register as a sex offender. Furthermore, officials noted that the defendant is in the United States illegally; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a detainer to take him into custody upon his completion of the prison term.