Bergen County Man Charged with Videotaping Sexual Abuse of Special Needs Teenager
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 24, 2012 |
NEWARK—A Bergen County, New Jersey man made his initial court appearance today after being charged in connection with videotaping the sexual abuse of a special needs teenage boy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Richard Genao, 51, of Carlstadt, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of a child. He made his initial court appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court and was detained without bail.
According to the complaint:
Until the autumn of 2011, Genao lived in Bayonne, New Jersey, with his partner, Edgar Rodriguez. Genao and Rodriguez became friendly with the child victim, a special needs boy born in 1995. On several occasions before, during, and after the summer of 2010, Genao and Rodriguez videotaped and photographed themselves engaging in oral and anal sex with the victim. In one video, Genao films the victim while the child is taking a shower. Genao comments that the camera is fogging up, then flips around the camera to wipe off the lens and records his own face.
In approximately the fall 2011, Genao and Rodriguez moved to Buffalo, New York. Rodriguez died on August 31, 2012, after which Genao moved back to New Jersey, where he currently lives.
The child exploitation count with which Genao is charged is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s charge. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of New York for their assistance on this case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Bruck of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.