Former Mastic Man, Accused Of Sex Abuse, Highlighted In U.S. DHS' 'Worst Of Worst' Web Launch

MASTIC, NY — A former Mastic man's case, accusing him of sexually abusing three young girls at TJ Maxx, has been highlighted at the launch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's new webpage featuring what it describes as the "Worst of the Worst" arrestees who are in the country illegally.

On the webpage, which can be found at www.dhs.gov/wow, visitors can look up arrestees by name, country of origin, and state. The site features around 24 pages of arrests from New York for offenses including homicide, sexual assault, hit-and-runs, weapon possession, driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as some traffic violations.

More than 50 of the people listed on the site were arrested on Long Island — around 20 from Suffolk and 30 from Nassau. A total of 283 of the people listed on the site were arrested in New York.

Jimmy Harry Velasquez Gomez, a 44-year-old Honduran national, faces three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, a felony, in an indictment in connection with incidents during which he grabbed the buttocks of the children between April and October, Suffolk prosecutors said.

Velasquez Gomez was also seen on video surveillance touching his genitals over his clothes while staring at the 9-year-old child, according to prosecutors. He additionally faces three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors, court records show.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a detainer for Velasquez Gomez last month.

In a news release, the agency described the charges he faces as "cruelty toward a child and lewd or lascivious acts with a minor." Gomez, a Honduran native, has been deported twice and is "a repeat sex offender," who was convicted of indecent exposure in 2018, the agency said.

Further details were not provided.

Patch has reached out to Velasquez Gomez's defense attorney, Daniel Belano of Islandia, for comment.

In a previous exchange, Belano called the news release about his client's detainer "outrageous and false" and noted his not guilty plea.

"My client was never 'caught' on any video molesting or groping anyone," he said. "He is not charged with cruelty to a child, or with lewd or lascivious acts with a minor — and he is not a convicted sex offender."

"None of these allegations made by ICE are true," he continued. "This is yet another example of ICE abusing its authority."

"We demand an immediate retraction and apology for its inaccuracies," he added.

In a statement included in the news release about the webpage's launch, the Department of Homeland Security's Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said it "allows every American to see for themselves the criminal illegal aliens that we are arresting, what crimes they committed, and what communities we removed them from. This is all about transparency and showing results."

The statement then goes on to accuse members of the media of "white-washing" the facts.

“Americans don’t have to rely on the press for this information — with this transparent tool, they can see for themselves what public safety threats were lurking in their neighborhoods and communities," she adds.

Velasquez Gomez was deported in 2019 and reentered the U.S. illegally, according to McLaughlin.

He was initially encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in April of 2005 near Cotulla, TX, and was removed from the U.S. on May 12, 2005, but has since committed another felony by illegally re-entering the U.S. for a 3rd time at an unknown time and location, the Department of Homeland Security said.

He was ordered held on $350,000, $950,000 bond, or $3.5 million partially secured bond, pending his next court date on Jan. 14, according to court records.

If convicted of the top charge, he faces up to seven years in prison.