By: Richard L. Smith
A Newark man was found guilty this week in a case involving the coerced sexual assault of three victims, Essex County officials announced.
According to a statement released by Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, a jury convicted 39-year-old Salaam Leeks of three counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault.
The verdict followed a trial presided over by Judge Harold W. Fullilove, Jr., J.S.C.
Assistant Prosecutors Meredith Mona and Brianna Sandroni successfully argued that Leeks manipulated and sexually assaulted three individuals in Newark between 2015 and 2016.
Prosecutors said Leeks falsely convinced the victims that their lives—and the safety of their families—were threatened by a local street gang.
He told the victims that having sex with him would serve as a form of protection, leading the victims to engage in intercourse under coercive and deceptive circumstances, without true consent.
“We are grateful that justice was served for the three courageous victims who came forward and testified against the defendant,” said Assistant Prosecutor Mona.
Her colleague, Assistant Prosecutor Sandroni, added, “This verdict demonstrates the importance of holding perpetrators of sexual assault accountable and affirms that survivors’ voices are being heard.”
Officials also praised the work of investigators from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Police Department, whose efforts helped bring the case to trial.
Leeks is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8, 2025. He faces a potential prison term of up to 40 years.