Jonathan Tavara-Nima, 31, of Elizabeth, New Jersey was hired over two years ago by the victim’s family to regularly take care of their daughter. He is now being charged with the following:
– Two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault.
– One count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
– Two counts of second-degree sexual assault.
– Three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The alleged series of assaults took place in the suspect’s car, a house in Union Township, and the Benedict Motel in Linden between the dates of August 17, 2015 and May 14, 2017. He often photographed the victim, who is younger than 13 years old, in sexual poses and during the assaults. Tavara-Nima was arrested at his residence on May 19, 2017.
Through the investigation, authorities found the suspect had previous charges of fourth-degree possession porn in December of 2010 for which he was sentenced to a year of probation.
The victim’s family had hired Tavara-Nima though the online Care.com agency. Following the announcement of his arrest, Care.com spokesperson Nancy Buskin released the following statement, assuring the suspect is currently blacklisted from the site.
“”The safety of our community is of paramount importance to us and we strongly urge our members to avail themselves of the safety tools, resources and protocols available on our site.”â€
There was no statement made regarding Tavara-Nima’s previous charges, even though the website offers third-party background checks.
There is a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison, with the full term served before parole for those found guilty of aggravated sexual assault against a child below the age of 13 according to the Jessica Lunsford Act.
All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
