MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) – A jury has found Amit Bhatt, 43, formerly of Parsippany-Troy Hills guilty on all charges related to an aggravated sexual assault that occurred on October 28, 2017 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
The jury returned a guilty verdict on Jan. 27 following a three-day trial. Bhatt was found guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Carroll said.
A sentencing date has been scheduled for March 17 before the Honorable Ralph Amirata, J.S.C. Bhatt will remain in custody until that time and was detained on Bergen County charges involving the possession of child sexual abuse material on Monday, Carroll said.
At sentencing, the aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault convictions are subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), which make the defendant ineligible for parole until he has served 85% of the sentence imposed. As required by the Jessica Lunsford Act, Bhatt must receive a sentence between 25 years and life imprisonment of which he must serve 25 years or more before becoming eligible for parole on the aggravated sexual assault charge.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on Oct. 28, 2017, in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, wherein Bhatt performed sex acts on and touched the inner thigh of an 8-year-old child, Carroll said.
The Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes & Child Endangerment Unit conducted an investigation into the incident after being notified of the victim’s disclosure by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on Jan. 11, 2022, Carroll said.
