NEW JERSEY
NBC New York
Thursday, Oct 16, 2014
A Catholic priest was convicted Wednesday of groping a woman but acquitted of molesting her two children.
Marukudiyil Velan’s defense attorney, S. Karl Mohel, said his client is unlikely to face prison time. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison but is not an offense subject to Megan’s Law registration requirements.
Velan was convicted by a jury of criminal sexual contact. He was acquitted of sexual assault charges involving the woman’s then-5-year-old daughter and then-13-year-old son, The Asbury Park Press reported.
The boy and his mother testified that Velan groped them at their home in July 2012 and then went out for pizza. Mohel said the family lied to collect money in a lawsuit against Velan and the church. The girl, now 7, did not testify at the trial and neither did Velan.
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