Gets 30 Years For Assaulting Young Relatives
A New York State court officer has been sentenced to up to 32 1/3 years in prison for sexually abusing two young family members, then ages 10 and 14, in his Springfield Gardens residence in separate incidents during an 18-month period between 2008 and 2009.
The defendant was additionally convicted of both possessing and promoting a sexual performance by a child in connection with videos and hundreds of images of child pornography found on his computer.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as Kerbet Dixon, 50, of Springfield Gardens. As a court officer, Dixon was last assigned to the New York State Supreme Court, Civil Term, in Jamaica.
Dixon was convicted last month of one count of first-degree course of sexual conduct, one count of thirddegree sexual abuse, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, 484 counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child and 150 counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child following a six-week jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter, who sentenced him on Monday, Apr. 21. to 25 1/3 to 32 1/3 years in prison.
Brown said, “The defendant has now been held accountable and appropriately punished for the vile acts he committed against two young family members. They, like the children depicted being sexually abused in the photographs found on his computer, must now suffer the burden of bearing the emotional scars of having been victimized by a sexual predator.”
According to trial testimony, Dixon sexually abused a 14-year-old female relative in June 2008 by touching her breast and genitals. On multiple occasions between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, Dixon endangered the welfare of a 10-yearold female family member by touching her also in a sexual manner.
In addition, according to trial testimony, while executing search warrants at Dixon’s residence following his arrest investigators found dozens of videos and images of child pornography on his computer.
The case came to light when one of the victim’s confided in her mother about Dixon’s actions.
Assistant District Attorney Kenneth M. Appelbaum, chief of the DA’s Special Victims Bureau, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Kateri A. Gasper, of the District Attorney’s Special Proceedings Bureau, Computer Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case under the supervision of former Special Victims Bureau Chief Marjory D. Fisher and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.
