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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - The trial for an Ossining resident and grand master karate instructor accused of sexually abusing four young female students got underway in White Plains Monday with opening statements.
Frank DeMaria, 67, of Van Cortlandt Ave., could face up to 35 years in prison if convicted of the charges brought against him by the Westchester County District Attorney's office when he was arrested in January 2011 following complaints by adults who reported to Croton Police that he had taken girls, ages 6 to 11, to the corner of his Croton karate studio and was gyrating his hips.
Prosecutors allege several times between November 2009 and January 2011 DeMaria, a retired Westchester County police officer and longtime martial arts instructor, asked students to apply a "tiger claw" technique by grabbing his groin area.
DeMaria has been charged with three counts of sexual conduct against a child in the second degree, a class D violent elony, two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, also a class D violent felony, and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
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