Jahmir Cain, 23, and Tarell Thomas, 27, received prison sentences of ten and seven years, respectively
NEWARK -- Two Newark men were sentenced on Friday to state prison terms for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl at an abandoned house in Irvington after the teenager had met one of the men on Facebook, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced.
Jahmir Cain, 23, and Tarell Thomas, 27, received prison sentences of ten and seven years, respectively, after pleading guilty on May 28 to charges of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to a news release from the prosecutor's office.
The victim had met Cain on Facebook in September 2013, the release states. The two men were initially charged in March 2014, court records show.
Additional details on the case were not immediately available.
"This case illustrates precisely why these laws were enacted - to protect children from the predatory behavior engaged in by these defendants,'' Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Lyons-Boswick, who handled the case, said in the news release.
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Under the sentences handed down by Superior Court Judge Martin Cronin, Cain and Thomas must each serve 85 percent of their sentences before becoming eligible for parole, meaning Cain must serve eight and a half years and Thomas must serve nearly six years, court records show.
Each man also will receive credit for nearly a year and a half of time served, records show.
Cain and Thomas must register as sex offenders under the state's Megan's Law, authorities said. They also will be subject to parole supervision for life and they must stay away from the victim when they are released from custody, authorities said.
As an adult, Cain has four prior arrests and two disorderly persons convictions, authorities said. He lived in Glassboro before coming to Newark, authorities said.
Thomas has been arrested six times as an adult, authorities said.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
