Cornwall man charged with child sex abuse following complaints from underage boys

State police say the investigation discovered that Valentine had inappropriately touched “numerous juvenile male victims over the course of 20 years.”

Blaise Gomez and Katerina Belales

Jul 3, 2025, 12:26 PM

Updated 2 hr ago

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A Cornwall-on-Hudson man is facing charges of child sex abuse after state police say two underage boys reported having “inappropriate interactions” with him at his home.
James Valentine, 57, was arrested by state police on Tuesday following the allegations made by the 15-year-old boys in June and a subsequent joint investigation with the FBI and several other local agencies.
Valentine was charged with attempted criminal sexual act and course sexual conduct against a child, both felonies, for what appears to be a separate incident that police say occurred over the course of several years in the Town of Clarkstown.
State police say he was initially charged June 5 with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child for the incidents at his home and that the investigation discovered Valentine had inappropriately touched “numerous juvenile male victims over the course of 20 years.”
Valentine previously lived in Valley Cottage before moving to Cornwall in 2015, according to online records.
Authorities say the victims over the past 20 years were friends of Valentine’s children.
Valentine was arraigned in Clarkstown Town Court and remanded to Rockland County Jail on $25,000 cash bail. Valentine’s charges are described in online jail records as forcible sodomy and course of repeated sexual conduct. As of Thursday, he remains incarcerated.
State police believe there may be several unidentified victims in New York and in the states of Tennessee and California. They ask parents to speak with their children and that any additional witnesses or victims contact them at 845-344-5300, referencing case number NY2500504980.
Valentine is due back in court July 7.