A Wayne, New Jersey man who won a huge Powerball jackpot faces criminal charges for aggravated sexual assault of an underage girl.
The suspect is 49-year-old Pedro Quezada, a Wayne NJ resident who won a $338 Powerball lottery jackpot in 2013.
Prior to winning the lottery, Quezada allegedly committed sex offenses against a juvenile girl on multiple occasions. The girl was reportedly between the ages of 11 and 14 at the time of the sex crimes. She is now 20 years of age and has come forward to law enforcement.
According to Passaic County prosecutors, Quezada bought the girl a gift and sexually assaulted her when she was 14 years old.
The suspect has been charged with multiple crimes, including aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.
If Quezada is ultimately convicted on the most serious charges, he could be sentenced to as many as 40 years behind bars in state prison. Beyond that, Quezada would likely have to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.
For more information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Powerball Winner Out of Jail After Arrest on Child Sex Charges.”