Subject:
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Well-known member of the AFOL community arrested on alleged child molestation charges
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.mediawatch
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Date:
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Mon, 8 Nov 2010 08:50:39 GMT
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From:
http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/jerseycity/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1289024723228810.xml&coll=3
**** START OF REPORT ****
Arrest on sex charges for Jersey City man who ran after-school Lego program at
charter school
Saturday, November 06, 2010
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
A Jersey City man who operated an after-school, LEGOs-oriented activity for
children at a city charter school has been arrested on charges he fondled three
young girls in Jersey City and Hoboken, officials said yesterday.
Eric Sophie, 40, of Newport Parkway, allegedly molested two 5-year-old girls and
an 8-year-old girl and was arrested Wednesday on three counts each of sexual
assault by contact, child abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, Hudson
County Assistant Prosecutor John Mulkeen said yesterday.
Sophie, who calls himself "Legomaster" on his Myspace.com page, ran an
after-school program at Ethical Community Charter School on Broadway. The school
opened in September 2009 and currently has three grades, kindergarten through
second grade.
The matter came to light when the school sent out a letter to parents saying the
person who led the Lego program had been arrested. It said more information was
available by calling the principal or the Hudson County Prosecutor's Special
Victims Unit.
"The accused person has been relieved of his duties pending a criminal
investigation," Marta Bergamini, the charter school's principal, said yesterday.
"We cannot comment further under state law at this time."
Sophie's MySpace.com page says he attended Ferris High in Jersey City in 1985
and 1986.
Bergamini noted that the school is "cooperating fully with all authorities," and
said: "The school takes the safety of all their children very seriously, and we
did a full background check on this employee and he was clean."
Sophie's intricate, complex and often large Lego creations have been exhibited
in Liberty State Park, on the Jersey City Artists Studio Tour, in the Newport
Town Square near his home, at the New Jersey Science and Engineering Festival in
Clifton, on the Good Day New York television program, on the Lego website and
numerous other venues.
Sophie has a listing on the Hoboken Family Alliance website's Birthday Party
Idea page offering his services. It reads, "Eric Sophie will come to your party
and build a Lego phenom with your party guest."
Mulkeen, who heads the Prosecutor's Office's Special Victims Unit, said Sophie
was transported to the Hudson County jail in Kearny Thursday and he is being
held in lieu of a bail of $200,000 cash or bond.
Mulkeen said the investigation is very active and no further information would
be released at this time. He would not say if Sophie worked at other schools.
**** END OF REPORT ****
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