A Sullivan County jury has convicted a 38-year-old South Fallsburg man of predatory sexual assault against a child and third-degree rape, closing out a four-day trial over allegations that stretched across years of a victim's childhood. Luis Romero Arriaza, who is from Honduras and currently lives in South Fallsburg, was convicted before Sullivan County Court Judge James Farrell.
Sullivan County District Attorney Brian Conaty announced the verdict, according to a report also carried by the Times Herald-Record. Conaty said the alleged abuse began when the victim was 11 and continued in South Fallsburg from the time she was 12 until she turned 17, per that same account.
How the Case Came to Light
The victim and her mother eventually reported the alleged abuse together to the Village of Monticello Police Department, the outlet's report states. From there, the case drew in multiple agencies: Monticello police were joined in the investigation by the Town of Fallsburg Police Department, the Sullivan County Child Advocacy Center, and the Family Violence Response Team, according to the same report.
That collaborative investigation traces back to September 22, 2025, when Fallsburg Police detectives received a report about a past sexual assault in the Town of Fallsburg, according to the River Reporter. Arriaza, then 37, was arrested on November 18, 2025, the outlet reported. He was arraigned in Fallsburg Town Justice Court by Judge Scheinman and remanded to the Sullivan County Jail, the River Reporter noted at the time.
Charges Shifted Between Arrest and Conviction
At the time of his arrest, Arriaza was initially charged with first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault against a child, both felonies, according to the River Reporter's reporting. The jury's eventual verdict, however, convicted him of predatory sexual assault against a child and third-degree rape rather than the first-degree rape charge originally filed. The available reporting does not explain why the charge changed between arrest and trial.
Both offenses Arriaza was convicted of remain felonies under New York law. Predatory sexual assault against a child is classified as a class A-II felony, according to the text of New York Penal Law Section 130.95. Third-degree rape is also codified as a felony offense under New York Penal Law Section 130.25, though the statute's broader provisions were not fully detailed in available excerpts.
Arriaza's attorney was identified as Henri Shawn in connection with the case. No information on a sentencing date or potential sentence has been made available following the conviction.
