Prosecutor: Probation Officer Facing Sexual Assault Charges

A New Jersey state probation officer was arrested on Monday and charged with the sexual assault of a woman whom he supervised on probation, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Tuesday.

Henry C. Cirignano, 48, of Adams Street in Wall Township, has been charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault. One of the two counts involves the coercion of his victim and the other involves abuse of his supervisory capacity over his victim as her probation officer.

If convicted of sexual assault, Cirignano faces up to 10 years in a New Jersey state prison on each count, subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA), requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.

He would also be subject to the provisions of Megan’s Law and parole supervision for life, requiring a minimum of 15 years of parole supervision following his release from prison.

The investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office culminated with Cirignano’s arrest on Monday. He is currently being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold Township. He is scheduled for a detention hearing on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019.

Anyone with additional information about this crime is urged to contact Detective Michael Acquaviva at 1-800-533-7443.

Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about a crime can contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers confidential telephone tip-line by calling 1-800-671-4400; can text “MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637; or, they can email a tip via the website by clicking here. Monmouth County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of criminals and fugitives.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office