A plea deal is stirring controversy in Miami-Dade, where a 90-year-old man accused of child sex crimes may avoid being listed on the Florida sex offender registry if the proposal is accepted. Keisha Etienne, the survivor of these alleged crimes, is publicly opposing the deal with the support of her attorney, in hopes that the court will reject the agreement.
According to CBS News Miami, Etienne entrusted Albert Bassett, whom she asked to become a father figure in a letter at a young age, but says the help he provided turned into years of sexual abuse beginning when she was just nine years old. "I just want to be heard," Etienne said, expressing her disbelief at the leniency of the plea deal crafted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. Her lawyer, Aaron Karger, indicated that financial assistance Bassett gave Etienne throughout her youth, could, in part, explain the proposed agreement.
Bassett, who now faces seven felony charges including four counts of sexual battery on a minor and three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child, was reportedly a community figure involved in local philanthropy. Neither Bassett nor his counsel responded to requests for comment from CBS News Miami.
Should the plea deal be accepted, Bassett would not be subject to the conditions that normally follow a sex crime conviction, such as appearing on the sex offender registry. This aspect, according to The Miami Herald, is tied to Bassett's age and the potentially punitive implications of such registry requirements. Etienne's lawyer, Mr. Karger, has labeled the state attorneys' actions as "gaslighting and silencing" that rival the trauma of the abuse itself.
Plea deal may keep Miami-Dade man accused of child sex crimes off registry. Victim perturbed https://t.co/OtIm3l4sXF
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) May 27, 2024
A response from the Office of State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle has not ventured into details due to the active status of the case. "As this is an open, active criminal case presently before the court, it would be inappropriate for the SAO to comment," said Claire LeBlanc, Public Information Officer for the office, in a statement. Etienne remains adamant in her quest for accountability, before the judge's decision on the plea deal this Tuesday, as reported by CBS News Miami.
