March 13, 2014

Bill would prohibit some sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet of their victims

3-13-2014 New York:

Two state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would prohibit high-risk sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet of their victims after The Journal News highlighted a case in Carmel, where a violent sex offender was permitted to move back next door to a girl he sexually assaulted.

Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson, and Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, introduced the legislation after learning about Mario Caruso, who sexually assaulted two girls, ages 8 and 9, in 2003 on a neighboring property.

Despite an objection from the younger victim, Judge Albert Lorenzo permitted Caruso to move back next door to her in 2011, months after he finished serving jail time in the case.

"The goal is to make sure an incident like this can never happen again," said Ball of the Caruso case that was featured in an article last month in The Journal News.

"Any victim of a sexual assault, many times they relive that in their minds again and again and to have to live in close proximity to the animal that attacked them is cruel and unusual punishment," he said.

The younger victim, now 19, is suing Caruso for the assault and moving back next door. Her father, who is not being identified by the newspaper because his daughter is a sexual assault victim, supports the legislation. ..Continued.. by Lee Higgins

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