The mother of a young boy sexually abused by his babysitter for six years told a hushed courtroom Thursday she was left with a broken “mom heart” by the “pedophile” she once considered part of the family.
The mom, who did not identify herself in court because of privacy concerns, delivered a tearful statement at the Manhattan Supreme Court sentencing of Jonathan Luna, 34, the family’s former babysitter, who was hit with 12 years for sexual conduct against a child.
“To call you a wolf in sheep’s clothing is in a way how it feels, but that sounds too poetic,” the tearful mom said. “What you really are is a straight-up predator, a pedophile.”
While working as the family’s babysitter, the victimized youngster’s mom said she considered Luna part of the family, and shared details about the trust they built — only to have Luna “weaponize” it against her son..
Luna regularly sexually abused the child in his care, starting from the second grade to when the boy reached the sixth grade, according to prosecutors.
His sickening hold over the little boy finally ended when the child told his parents what his babysitter was doing.
“He told us that that guy – our guy – had repeatedly and regularly molested him… raped him were our son’s words,” the mom said.
“You did those things, and then you did them again. You could’ve quit knowing you crossed the line but you didn’t. You kept at it for years in our home without his consent. He was so young, so little.”
“Up until then, we considered you part of the family,” she said. “I cared for you more like a nephew than a babysitter,” she added.
The boy, now a teenager, continues to experience nightmares and remains “tormented” from Luna’s abuse — unable to enjoy childhood milestones like sleep-away camp, and suffering psychologically from the years-long abuse, according to his mom.
Luna, who also worked as a Boys Scout Cubmaster and camp counselor, among other jobs involving youth, didn’t look once at the victim’s mom during her heart-wrenching 10-minute speech.
He will serve 12 years in prison and have 13 years post-release supervision, and have to register as a sex offender.
The distraught mom said she also blamed herself for not protecting her son.
“As for me, your actions quite literally broke my heart — my mom’s heart,” she said.
But Justice Diane Kiesel consoled the devastated mom, urging her to not harbor any guilt and applauding her courage for coming forward.
“It breaks my heart to think you’re walking around with guilt when you too were a victim here,” Kiesel said.
According to authorities, Luna’s other jobs working with kids included: as a Cubmaster from 2007 until early 2012; as a counselor at the Boy Scott Keowa Summer Camp in Sullivan County in 2015; as a counselor for the McBurney YMCA after-school program at PS 41 in Greenwich Village from 2013 through 2016; as a camp counselor in Pennsylvania from 2016-2017; and as an afterschool counselor at PS 340 in Chelsea for three months in 2022.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office asked any parents who believe their children may have had contact with Luna to contact its child abuse unit at 212-335-4308.
