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Ex-councilman charged with sex assault faces new counts

07:00 AM EST on Saturday, December 1, 2007

By Tatiana Pina

Journal Staff Writer

A former Central Falls councilman charged with the sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy was arraigned in District Court on Thursday on three additional charges of third-degree sexual assault against the boy.

The new charges against Luis Gil, 45, of Central Falls, are a result of a two-week investigation by Sgt. Douglas Newberg and Detective John Charbonneau of the state police and Providence police detectives. Gil turned himself in to police Thursday, according to state police Capt. Stephen Lynch.

Gil was arrested on the first charge of third-degree sexual assault Nov. 12 after the Providence police allegedly found him partially dressed in his car with the 15-year-old boy under the Henderson Bridge in Providence. The boy was in the back seat buttoning his jeans and trying to put on his shirt, according to the police. Gil said he was the boy’s soccer coach, but there was no indication of that, Lynch said.

Gil and the boy are alleged to have met in August while the boy waited for a RIPTA bus in Pawtucket, according to Lynch. Gil allegedly approached the boy at the bus stop but the boy declined to go with him and got on the bus, Lynch said.

Gil followed the bus until the boy got off at his stop and talked to him again, Lynch said. The boy agreed to go with him, Lynch said. They drove to Lincoln Woods in Lincoln, where they allegedly engaged twice in consensual sex, Lynch said. They later went to the former rectory of the Notre Dame Church, which is privately owned, where they had consensual sex a third time, according to Lynch.

Third-degree sexual assault involves a defendant older than 18 who engages in sexual penetration with someone between 14 and under 16.

Gil, who did not seek a second term as a councilman, resigned Nov. 23. Central Falls Mayor Charles Moreau and a majority of the five-member council had repeatedly called for his resignation. Gil is a well-known radio personality who worked for Spanish language radio. His arrest stunned the people who worked with him.

Gil’s lawyer, Richard K. Corley, said that he did not know why all of the charges weren’t brought against his client at once. “If someone is a victim of some sort of sexual misconduct you would think he would have told this sort of thing the first time they were speaking to police,” Corley said. “One thing I think is clear. No one is making any allegation that the young man is alleging he was an unwilling participant. [The allegations] are not true but he is not fabricating there was a form of coercion. We expect when we go to court the story will become clear and Mr. Gil will be vindicated.”

tpina@projo.com