BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's office announced a Niagara Falls attorney has pleaded guilty to multiple charges for sexually assaulting three victims.
30-year-old Nicholas D. D’Angelo pleaded guilty in State Supreme Court to four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of third-degree criminal sexual act, and two counts of third-degree rape. He pleaded guilty to the charges ahead of a jury trial that was scheduled to begin on May 8.
As part of the plea, D’Angelo agreed to surrender his license to practice law and will not re-apply in the future. In addition, he will be required to register as a sex offender.
According to the district attorney's office, in the fall of 2016, D'Angelo met the first victim through an online dating website. He picked her up for an arranged date and drove to an unknown location in Niagara Falls and forcibly engaged in sexual conduct with the victim inside his parked vehicle.
In October 2018, D'Angelo subjected a second victim to sexual contact by forcible compulsion at his law office in Lockport.
In 2019, D'Angelo engaged in sexual conduct and sexual intercourse with a third victim. The district attorney's office said from August 2019 to October 2019 the sexual conduct and sexual intercourse occurred on his boat at a marina in Niagara County and from September 2019 to October 2019 the sexual conduct and sexual intercourse occurred inside his vehicle in Niagara Falls. According to the district attorney's office, at the time of both crimes D'Angelo was over 21 years old ad the victim was under 17 years old.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6 and remains released on his own recognizance with travel restrictions. According to the Erie County District Attorney's office, D'Angelo will serve six months in jail followed by 10 years of sex offender probation.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a statement to 7 News' Kristen Mirand:
Our office, with the consent of the victims, agreed to the plea to ensure that the defendant was convicted of felony sex crimes and will serve jail time followed by 10 years of sex offender probation. As a registered sex offender, the defendant will have to abide by strict conditions imposed the probation department or he will be re-sentenced to imprisonment.
7 New legal analyst, Florina Altshiler said the charges were shocking.
"What's particularly concerning about this case is that this is somebody who is an attorney who took an oath to protect people," Altshiler said.
She said his guilty plea avoids a jury trial.
"He decided to plead guilty to the lesser charge of the D felonies that the District Attorney's office offered him," she added, "But you have to keep in mind he's not doing six months for rape, he's doing six months for the the D felony sex abuses charges."
D'Angelo is also facing charges in Niagara County, he was arraigned Tuesday on an indictment charging him with:
- Four counts of first-degree identity theft
- Two counts of second-degree forgery
- Two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument
- Two counts of making a campaign contribution in other than the true name of contributor
- Two counts of first-degree attempted tampering with public records
The Niagara County District Attorney's Office said the indictment was the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, FBI, and United States Postal Inspection Service.
D'Angelo was arraigned and released on his own recognizance and a pre-trial conference is scheduled for June 23.
