HAVERHILL – A former Haverhill resident was sentenced to 13 to 14 years in state prison after being convicted of raping a child Wednesday.
Gjon Gjegji, 56, who relocated to Pelham, N.H., was found guilty by a jury in September on three counts of rape of a child (aggravated by age difference) and three counts of rape of a child with force.
The crimes, which occurred in 2007 in Haverhill, were uncovered after an investigation conducted by Penny Portalla of the Haverhill Police Department.
Following the completion of his prison sentence, Gjegji will also face three years of probation.
Judge Camille F. Sarrouf, Jr. presided over the case in Salem Superior Court.
Erin Bellavia, the assistant district attorney of Essex County, represented the Commonwealth in the case. Gjegji was represented by defense attorney William Sullivan.
“We truly admire the strength and courage demonstrated by the victim in this case throughout the court process,” said Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.
In March 2022, Gjegji was apprehended as a fugitive by the Pelham Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. The man was found in a Hannaford parking lot in Pelham, where he was arrested without incident after exiting his vehicle.
At the time of the arrest, Gjegji was wanted in Massachusetts on six counts of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person older than 14.