Counselor Sentenced for Attempted Rape of Mentally Disabled Resident

Anthony Fontaine of Tuckahoe was trusted to care for the mentally disabled adults at the Hawthorne Foundation/Ossining IRA group home, but instead sought to sexually abuse one of its female residents.

The 55-year-old who worked as a driver and counselor at the Ossining residential facility pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week to three and a half years in prison for one count of attempted rape in the first degree, a class C violent felony. 

According to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office, Fontaine admitted that he attempted to force the female resident into having sex with him on Dec. 24. 

The victim later told another staff member what happened, prompting a six-month investigation by the Westchester County Police and the district attorney office’s Sex Crimes Bureau. Westchester County arrested Fontaine on June 13, 2012.

“As the case progressed, a negotiated disposition in full satisfaction of all charges was agreed to in order to spare this vulnerable victim the trauma of reliving the defendant’s sexual assaults at trial,” a press release said from the DA's office said. 

Fontaine pleaded guilty on March 20, will receive 10 years post-release supervision and will be required to register as a sex offender before his release.