A Lackawanna County Court jury needed little time Friday to find a Monroe County man guilty of repeatedly sexual assault of a 12-year-old.
Jurors deliberated only an hour before convicting Moise Robles, 30, of East Stroudsburg, of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault of a person less than 13 and corruption of minors, following a four day trial before Lackawanna County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle.
The investigation began on Jan. 2, when Blakely Detective Peter Petrucci responded to a borough residence regarding a report of child abuse to ChildLine that was forwarded to the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office.
The report alleged inappropriate texts between Robles and the 12-year-old, with few details.
Officers spoke with a member of the girl’s family, who said he noticed concerning text messages on the juvenile’s phone and a FaceTime call that Apple flagged for inappropriate content during the Christmas holiday.
An examination of the girl’s phone indicated Robles would routinely tell her “I love you” and threaten to block her if she didn’t immediately respond to his messages.
At one point, the juvenile did a Google search asking if she could get pregnant even though she hadn’t gotten her period yet.
The text messages made it clear Robles knew the girl’s age, according to the complaint.
On Jan. 9, a Children’s Advocacy Center counselor interviewed the juvenile, who said the abuse started around Halloween.
She described Robles as a friend of the family and said he began touching her inappropriately when no one else was around.
The girl said she was scared and uncomfortable, but Robles said that if she told her family they would be mad at her.
She told investigators that, if she resisted the abuse, Robles would push her away and strangle her to near unconsciousness. She described the experience as “feeling her body shutting down.”
Robles also would strangle her during abuse, court papers say.
Robles faces a maximum sentence of 74 years in state prison and will be required to register as a sexual offender for life.
He will also be evaluated to determine whether he meets the criteria for classification as a sexually violent predator.
“Law enforcement throughout Lackawanna County will continue to aggressively investigate, arrest, and prosecute those who prey on children. If you are a pedophile, we will hold you accountable.” District Attorney Brian Gallagher said.