Honduran National Indicted in Alleged Sexual Abuse of Three Children at Medford TJ Maxx

MEDFORD, N.Y. – A Mastic man originally arrested this month on accusations that he groped young girls inside a Medford TJ Maxx has now been formally indicted on upgraded charges, Suffolk County prosecutors announced Monday.

Jimmy Harry Velasquezgomez, 44, is accused of targeting three girls – ages 7, 9 and 11 – inside the same Horseblock Road TJ Maxx store over a period of roughly six months, approaching them when they were briefly away from their parents and grabbing their buttocks over their clothing.

According to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney’s office, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Velasquezgomez with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, a Class D violent felony, as well as three counts of second-degree sexual abuse and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors.

Alleged Pattern Inside the Medford Store

Authorities say the accusations stem from three separate visits families made to the Medford TJ Maxx in April, September and late October.

In the first incident, a 7-year-old girl was shopping with her mother and had been allowed to look at toys in a nearby aisle when a man walked past and allegedly squeezed her buttocks with his hand. The child immediately went back to her mother and reported what happened, prompting a call to police, but the man had already left the store by the time officers arrived.

Months later, an 11-year-old girl browsing for a gift reported seeing a man holding his genitals over his clothing. Moments after that, the same man is alleged to have walked by her and grabbed her backside before exiting the store. Her family contacted law enforcement after they could no longer locate him inside the building.

The most recent incident, on Oct. 29, involved a 9-year-old who had stepped slightly ahead of her mother in the toy aisle. Investigators say a man walked past the child, doubled back several times to look down the aisle, then lifted the hem of her sweatshirt and squeezed her buttocks. The girl immediately ran to her mother, and the family alerted store staff and police.

Surveillance Video, Arrest and Early Charges

Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Section reviewed store surveillance from all three dates. According to police and prosecutors, the footage shows the same man in the store during each incident; in the October encounter, he is also seen touching his genitals over his clothes while watching the 9-year-old, authorities said.

On Nov. 1, officers arrested Velasquezgomez on Main Street in East Islip after identifying him as the suspect seen in the video from the October incident. He was initially charged with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and held at the Third Precinct pending arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip.

News accounts at the time described Velasquezgomez as a maintenance worker with ties to Honduras who has lived in Suffolk County for several years. Prosecutors also noted that he has a prior misdemeanor conviction for public lewdness.

Grand Jury Indictment and Bail Decision

Following the police investigation and early court appearances, the case was presented to a Suffolk County grand jury, which returned the indictment announced today, Nov. 17. At a subsequent arraignment before Acting State Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis, Velasquezgomez pleaded not guilty.

Justice Wilutis ordered him held on $350,000 cash bail, $950,000 bond or a $3.5 million partially secured bond, a significant increase from the $50,000-per-felony bail that had been set after his initial arrest, according to prior news coverage.

Tierney said in a statement that his office treats allegations involving children with the highest priority and that prosecutors will seek to hold the defendant accountable if the charges are proven. Authorities have also urged any additional families who believe their children may have been victimized at the Medford store to contact the Suffolk County Police Special Victims Section.

Velasquezgomez, who remains in custody, is scheduled to return to court in January. If convicted on the top counts in the indictment, he faces a potential state prison term of up to seven years.

He is currently represented by attorney Daniel Belano. Defense attorneys have previously suggested in media reports that the contact inside the store was accidental, claims prosecutors dispute based on the pattern they say is visible in the surveillance footage.

At the time of publication, law enforcement and court records have not indicated whether Velasquezgomez is legally present in the United States.