Morris Prosecutor: Former Boy Scout Assistant Scoutmaster Sentenced on Sexual Assault Charges
Published on January 19, 2019
Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Chief of Investigations Stephen Wilson, and Morris Plains Police Chief Jason Kohn announce that Stephen Corcoran, 51, with a last known address in Morris Plains has been sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for sexual assault.
The defendant is subject to Megan's Law and Community Supervision of Life.
In August 2018, Corcoran pled guilty to four separate counts of sexual assault, all crimes of the second degree. These charges represent separate acts committed upon the three individual victims between 1997 and 1999 in Morris Plains.
As part of the plea, the defendant acknowledged that he was in a supervisory position as a result of his assistant scoutmaster status.
The case came to light in November 2011 when a former boy scout came forward and disclosed to law enforcement that he had been sexually assaulted by his former assistant scoutmaster, later identified as Corcoran, while the victim was a juvenile. Subsequent investigation revealed two additional former boy scouts who also disclosed that they had been sexually assaulted by the defendant in the 1990s, when each of these victims were juveniles.
One of the victims disclosed a course of abuse that occurred over several years.
Sentence was imposed by Superior Court Judge Thomas J. Critchley. The state was represented by Morris County Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn and Assistant Prosecutor Catherine LaQuaglia.
The defendant is currently serving a seven-year State Prison sentence related to his 2017 convictions for Exhibition of Child Pornography, a crime of the second degree, and 11 counts of Possession of Child Pornography, crimes of the fourth degree.
The sentence for the sexual assault convictions will run concurrent to the child pornography convictions.
The efforts of numerous law enforcement agencies contributed to these convictions, including the Morris Plains Police Department, Parsippany Police Department, Morris County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit.
Prosecutor Knapp said, The Defendant held a trusted leadership role in his community and chose to abuse his power by hurting innocent children. The past cannot be changed, however we hope that this sentence brings some closure to the victims.
Inquiries should be directed to Public Information Officer Peter DiGennaro at ressinquiry@co.morris.nj.us or 973-829-8159.