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Morris County Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Aggravated Sexual Assault
Amit Bhatt, previously of Parsippany-Troy Hills, was convicted following an assault on a minor in 2017.
On June 26, 2023, Morris County officials announced that Amit Bhatt, a 43-year-old man formerly of Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, had been sentenced to 29 years in state prison in relation to an aggravated sexual assault that took place in 2017.
Bhatt's sentencing was declared by Morris County First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Chief of Police Richard Pantina.
The Honorable Ralph Amirata, J.S.C., delivered the sentence on June 23, 2023. Bhatt received a 29-year prison term for first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, with a mandatory 25 years without parole eligibility. In addition, Judge Amirata imposed a six-year term for second-degree Sexual Assault, subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA). A third-degree charge of Endangering the Welfare of a Child was merged into the Sexual Assault count. The sentences are set to run concurrently.
Upon release, Bhatt will be subject to Megan’s Law notification and Parole Supervision for Life. Furthermore, he has been ordered to maintain no contact with the victim. As per the Jessica Lunsford Act, Bhatt's first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault charge required a sentence ranging between 25 years to life imprisonment, along with a mandatory 25 years of parole ineligibility.
The conviction stemmed from a jury trial held over three days, culminating in a guilty verdict on all three charges on January 27, 2023. The State was represented at the trial by Assistant Prosecutor Taylor Sharofsky and former-Assistant Prosecutor Vanessa Craveiro. At sentencing, Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Reema Kareer represented the state.
The charges against Bhatt originated from an incident on October 28, 2017, in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, where Bhatt performed sexual acts on and touched an eight-year-old child. The Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes / Child Endangerment Unit were notified of the victim's disclosure by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on January 11, 2022. Subsequently, an investigation into the incident was initiated.
In her statement, First Assistant Prosecutor Calderwood extended her gratitude to the agencies involved in the investigation, including the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Police Department, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes / Child Endangerment Unit. She also commended the trial team, including former Assistant Prosecutor Vanessa Craivero, Assistant Prosecutor Taylor Sharofsky, Detective Supervisor Lydia Negron, Detective Lamar Hagans, and Victim Witness Advocate Amanda Holloway, for their professional and dedicated service, leading to the successful conviction and sentencing of Bhatt.
