Man gets 35 years in prison for sexually assaulting 9-year-old girl, making her watch child pornography – NJ.com

A New Jersey man has been sentenced to 35 years in state prison for making a 9-year-old girl watch child pornography while he sexually assaulted her.

Jose Santana, 60, of Belleville, had been convicted in November 2019 of three counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault and one count apiece of possession of child pornography and endangering the welfare of a child, but sentencing was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Santana has been jailed while awaiting sentencing, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, which announced the Friday sentencing on Monday.

Santana must serve 29 years and nine months of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.

The assaults took place more than once while the girl visited Santana and his wife at their home, authorities said.

“Hopefully, this will give closure to the family and this little girl will be able to rest easy knowing her brave actions will prevent him from hurting her or anyone else in the future,” said Assistant Prosecutor Peter C. Polidoro, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Tony Gutierrez.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.