Man Sentenced to 29 Years in Prison for Aggravated Sexual Assault
Published on June 26, 2023
Morris County First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Chief of Police Richard Pantina announce that Amit Bhatt, 43, formerly of Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, was sentenced in relation to an Aggravated Sexual Assault that occurred on October 28, 2017, in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township.
On June 23, 2023, the Honorable Ralph Amirata, J.S.C. sentenced Bhatt to 29 years in New Jersey State Prison on a first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, with 25 years of parole ineligibility. Judge Amirata also imposed six years in New Jersey State Prison on a second degree Sexual Assault, subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA). A third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child count merged into the Sexual Assault count. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently to each other. Upon release, Bhatt is subject to Megan’s Law notification and Parole Supervision for Life. Bhatt is also ordered to have no contact with the victim. Pursuant to the Jessica Lunsford Act, the defendant was required to receive a sentence between 25 years and life imprisonment, with a mandatory 25 years of parole ineligibility, on the first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault charge.
A jury returned a guilty verdict on the three charges on January 27, 2023 following a three-day trial. The State was represented at trial by Assistant Prosecutor Taylor Sharofsky and former-Assistant Prosecutor Vanessa Craveiro, and at sentencing by Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Reema Kareer.
The charges arose from an incident that occurred on October 28, 2017 in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, wherein the defendant performed sex acts on and touched the inner thigh of an eight year-old child. Members of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes / Child Endangerment Unit conducted an investigation into the incident after being notified of the victim’s disclosure by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on January 11, 2022.
First Assistant Prosecutor Calderwood would like to thank and acknowledge the agencies that participated in the investigation which led to this successful outcome, including the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Police Department, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes / Child Endangerment Unit. First Assistant Prosecutor Calderwood commended the Trial Team: Former Assistant Prosecutor Vanessa Craivero, Assistant Prosecutor Taylor Sharofsky, Detective Supervisor Lydia Negron, Detective Lamar Hagans and Victim Witness Advocate Amanda Holloway for their professional and dedicated service and whose contributions secured the successful conviction and sentence in this matter.