A Monmouth County Grand Jury returned a 15-count indictment on Friday charging a local youth tennis instructor with various charges of sexual assault and associated misconduct involving a student and other local children, Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said.
Terry Y. Kuo, 26, of Colts Neck, also known as Victor Lee, was charged in the indictment with: one count of first-degree attempted aggravated sexual assault, one count of second-degree attempted sexual assault, one count of first-degree causing or permitting a child to engage in child pornography, one count of second-degree manufacturing child pornography, one count of third-degree possession of child pornography, one count of fourth-degree lewdness, two counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, one count of fourth-degree stalking, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of third-degree obscenity.
Kuo is scheduled to be arraigned on this indictment on Feb. 20 before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano.
The charges stem from an investigation commenced after one of Kuo’s 13-year-old tennis students alleged various instances of sexual misconduct at Kuo’s hands during the summer and fall of 2017.
A subsequent investigation conducted by the Marlboro Police Department, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victim’s Bureau and Computer Crimes Unit revealed child pornography on the defendant’s electronic devices as well as improper conduct with additional juveniles.
If convicted of attempted aggravated sexual assault, Kuo faces up to 20 years in a New Jersey state prison. Aggravated sexual assault involves penetration. If convicted of sexual assault, the defendant faces up to 10 years in prison.
Both sentences are subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA) requiring 85 percent of a sentence to be served before becoming eligible for release on parole. Both charges would also be subject to the provisions of Megan’s Law and parole supervision for life, following any release from state prison.
If convicted of the other first-degree crimes, Kuo faces a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison. If convicted of the second-degree offenses, Kuo faces five to 10 years in state prison. The third-degree charges carry additional sentences of three to five years in prison on each count; and fourth-degree crimes carry sentences of up to 18 months in prison.
Investigators are seeking additional information about Kuo’s activities and looking to identify other possible victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact either Detective Edward Ungrady of the Marlboro Township Police Department at 732-536-0100 ext. 1099 or Detective Shawn Murphy of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-431-7160 ext. 7032.
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