Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that a 64-year-old homeless man has been sentenced to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to 2 counts of sexual abuse in the first degree. The defendant in October of 2019, lured a little boy with a balloon and then pushed the tot’s face into his groin. After being arrested and charged, the defendant was subsequently released on bail. Then 2 months later, he was re-arrested for sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl in a mall in Queens.

District Attorney Katz said, “Children must be protected from predators at all times. This defendant sought out ways to fulfill his own sick fantasy by taking advantage of children he spotted in public places. In pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted to his crimes and will be incarcerated. He will also be required to register as a sex offender after completing his sentence. Parents and guardians, please be alert and always be mindful of strangers befriending children in public places.”

The District Attorney’s Office identified the defendant as Luis Olivo, 64, whose last known address was a homeless shelter on 101st Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. The defendant was charged in 2 separate indictments and pleaded guilty on March 12, 2020 to 2 counts of sexual abuse in the first degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Charles Lopresto. Today, Justice Lopresto sentenced Luis to 5 years in prison, to be followed by 5 years’ post release supervision. The defendant will also be required to register as a sex offender.

According to the charges, said District Attorney Katz, on October 19, 2019, the defendant was inside a laundry facility on Jamaica Avenue between 2 and 3 p.m. Olivo was not there doing his laundry, but instead had candy laid out on a table and passed a balloon back and forth to a 3-year-old boy that was also in the Laundromat. The defendant was observed on video surveillance tugging on the child’s sweatshirt. He was also seen leaning very close to the little boy’s face. Moments later, Luis put his hands on the back of the little boy’s head and pulled the child’s face into his crotch.

The defendant was arrested and charged. A judge at that time held Luis on $2,000 bail, which was paid by the Bronx Defenders.

Two months later on December 2, 2019, according to a separate indictment, said DA Katz, the defendant was seen in a mall on Jamaica Avenue with an 8-year-old girl. The defendant sat next to the girl and was seen by a witness put his hand under her dress. The defendant touched the girl’s genitals and also put her hands on his groin area.

Assistant District Attorney Sheila A. Horgan, a supervisor in the District Attorney’s Criminal Court Bureau, prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Robert J. Hanophy, Bureau Chief, Pamela J. Byer, Kevin G. Higgins and Denise Tirino, Deputy Chiefs, Kevin P. Fogarty, Unit Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of the Criminal Practice and Policy Division Angela Albertus.