Manhattan babysitter accused of sexually abusing child; Additional victims sought

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (WABC) -- A Manhattan babysitter is accused of sexually abusing a child he watched for six years, and authorities are investigating if there could be more victims.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance on Monday announced the indictment of 33-year-old Milton Narvaez, a.k.a. Milton Gomez, who was employed as a babysitter or nanny and also worked on the custodial staff of a church in Midtown. Authorities say the case began as an investigation into the peer-to-peer sharing of images of child sexual assault, for which Narvaez is also charged, and revealed that he may have abused other children who have yet to be identified.

He is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with predatory sexual assault against a child, course of sexual conduct against a child and dozens of charges of both promoting and possessing a sexual performance by a child.

"Investigations into online sharing of images of child sexual assault can, and do, lead to those who sexually assault children," Vance said. "All too often in law enforcement, we see perpetrators film their illegal acts, including violent sexual assaults, with a smartphone or camera in order to relive those despicable acts again and again. When they share images of those assaults and attacks, those people are victimized anew."

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, beginning in February 2008, Narvaez is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a child whom he was paid to babysit from the time the victim was 6 years old to approximately 12 years old.

The alleged sexual assault was discovered in the course of a routine investigation by the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau into the sharing and possession of images of child sexual assault through peer-to-peer technology, akin to that used to swap online music and audio files. Narvaez is charged with sharing and possessing dozens of images of children that were not know to him. In addition, investigators observed videos on his computer of Narvaez abusing the child he babysat.

Parents whose children have had contact with the suspect are urged to call the DA Office's Child Abuse Unit Hotline at 212-335-4308.