Mullica Twp., NJ, man gets 16 years in prison for sex with child

A Mullica Township man is headed to prison for having sex with a 13-year-old child.

Marcelino Cruz of Mullica Twp., NJ, Sentenced

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office says on Tuesday, 35-year-old Marcelino Cruz was sentenced to 16 years in state prison after a jury found him guilty on the following charges:

• Second-degree sexual assault
• Third-degree endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct
• Third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material.

Cruz was also sentenced to five years behind bars for possession of child sexual assault material, which will run concurrent to the 16-year sentence.

That sentence, which is a mandatory extended term, must be served in its entirety without parole since Cruz was already on parole supervision for life when he committed the offense.

• MORE NEWS: 2 Men in their 20s Killed in Vineland Crash

A jury found that Cruz, when he was 33, had sex with a child who was 13 at the time on August 6th, 2022. They also found that Cruz had an item of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone.

Upon release, Cruz will resume parole supervisor for life and registration under Megan’s Law.

This case was investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victim’s Unit and the Mullica Township Police Department. Assistant Prosecutor Tiffany deGrandmaison prosecuted the case for the State.