WOODBURY — Brandon A. Martinez-Tapia, 21, pleaded guilty on Feb. 23 to two sexual assault counts that occurred in Swedesboro between 2014 and 2017.
Martinez-Tapia pled guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual assault when the victim is between 13 and 15 years old and the defendant is at least four years older.
The offenses Martinez-Tapia acknowledged occurred in Swedesboro on dates between April 1, 2014 and July 17, 2016.
There were two victims. The offenses were disclosed July 17, 2016. Martinez was arrested two days later and has been incarcerated in default of bail.
In a negotiated plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Dana Anton recommended that Martinez be sentenced to nine years in New Jersey state prison. Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, he must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Superior Court Judge Kevin T. Smith accepted the pleas and deferred sentencing until Martinez-Tapia is evaluated at the state’s Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a facility for sex offenders in Avenel, NJ. If he is found to be a repetitive and compulsive offender, he may serve his sentence at the Avenel facility and undergo treatment there.
