A 64-year-old homeless man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to luring a 3-year-old boy with a balloon and sexually abusing him in 2019 and then abusing an 8-year-old girl in a Queens mall when he was released on bail two months later, prosecutors say.
Luis Olivo, whose last known address was a shelter in Jamaica, pleaded guilty in March to two separate indictments. His prison term will be followed by five years post-release supervision and he'll have to register as a sex offender.
According to the charges, Olivo was in a Jamaica Avenue laundromat in October 2019 -- but not to do laundry. He set up candy on a table and passed a balloon back and forth with a 3-year-old boy who also happened to be there. Olivo was seen on video tugging on the child's sweatshirt and leaning close to his face. Moments later, prosecutors say he put his hands on the back of the boy's head and pulled the child's face into his crotch. He was arrested and charged. A judge at the time held Olivo on $2,000 bail, which prosecutors say was paid by public defense attorneys.
Two months later, on Dec. 2, 2009, Olivo was seen in a mall on Jamaica Avenue with an 8-year-old girl. A witness saw him put his hand under her dress; he allegedly touched her genitals and put her hands on his groin area.
“Children must be protected from predators at all times. This defendant sought out ways to fulfill his own sick fantasy by taking advantage of children he spotted in public places," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "Parents and guardians, please be alert and always be mindful of strangers befriending children in public places."
