NY Woman Sells Her Child to Strangers for Sex to Pay the Rent

By Pamela Mortimer

Federal officials have charged Linda O’Connor, 46, with selling her daughter to pay her overdue rent. Arrested on Sunday, the Norwich, New York resident also faces pornography charges relating to the solicitation. According to reports, O’Connor had sold her daughter to strangers at a hotel on various dates in 2006 and 2007; the girl was 12-13 years old when she was allegedly raped.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Miroslav Lovric stated that O’Connor could face life in prison.

O'Connor's former New Jersey landlord, Dean Sacco, 49, was also charged with having sex with the daughter, as well as crossing state lines to have sex with a minor and various accompanying pornography charges.

Reportedly, the girl told authorities that O'Connor and Sacco had photographed the alleged rapes. Currently in foster care, the 14-year-old girl said she was afraid of becoming homeless and that Sacco had threatened to kill her if she did not cooperate.

The girl also told the investigators that Sacco had sex with her at least five times. O'Connor also took her to a hotel in December 2006 and watched while her underage daughter had sex with a 40-year-old man for $150. The girl said that her mother later returned her to the hotel to have sex with a second man. After the second sexual assault was over, O'Connor took her to go Christmas shopping.

Sacco and O'Connor are both being held without bail until they appear at a detention hearing on Friday, according to Tuesday’s Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin.

This is not Sacco’s first brush with the law. The former landlord was scheduled for trial this week in on charges of rape and nine other state felonies. According to District Attorney Joseph McBride, the trial has been postponed at the request of his defense attorney. Sacco’s defense attorney was in court Tuesday and was not available for comment.

Kelly Fischer, Sacco’s defense attorney, reported that he was assigned to the Sacco case on Monday. Fischer declined to comment on the federal court proceedings until he had an opportunity to study his client’s case.

Federal public defender Melissa Tuohey was assigned to the O’Connor case. Tuohey was unable to be reached via telephone and did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment about the charges.