A New York man was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old at a Monmouth County motel in 2023, officials with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday.
David Leigh, 35, of Auburn, New York, was found guilty of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
The jury deliberated for two hours Thursday after a week-long trial, according to officials.
Leigh was accused of meeting the 14-year-old through social media and subsequently meeting the teenager at a motel in Neptune where the sexual assault took place in April 2023, officials said.
The teenager told Leigh her age prior to the assault, authorities said. Leigh was arrested in January 2024, officials said.
Evidence presented during the trial included the teenager’s testimony and physical and electronic evidence, officials said.
Leigh’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 12 and he faces up to 10 years in prison, according to officials.
“It was a very hard fought and tough trial,” Leigh’s attorney George J. Mardinly said Friday. “We held the prosecutors’ feet to the fire, but ultimately the jury spoke.”
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