Tennessee Woman Gets 10 Years Prison in Sex Case - Update

(Grand Forks, North Dakota)

Cynthia Kusy dropped her head into her hands Thursday as the judge sentenced her to 10 years in prison, the maximum sentence, for sexually assaulting a then 15-year-old Grand Forks boy in April 2011.

The Knoxville, Tenn., woman’s attempt to blame the victim, who was described in court as a vulnerable teen with a low IQ and emotional problems, and his mother for not taking better care of him was cited by the judge in the sentencing decision.

In addition to the two counts of sexual assault of a minor, District Judge Debbie Kleven also sentenced Kusy to five years for luring a minor over the Internet, but suspended that sentence. Kusy will get five years of supervised probation after she gets out of prison.

The judge asked Kusy, who said she has been married for 24 years and has a 14-year-old son: “Would you want someone to do that to your son?”

“No, of course not,” Kusy said.

Kusy was heard weeping as her sentence was read.

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Tennessee Woman Guilty of Sex Assault - Update
[Previous 7/2/12 post]
(Grand Forks, North Dakota) Last Thursday, 46-year-old Cynthia Kusy was convicted of sex with a minor by a jury deliberating for less than an hour.

Jurors reached by the Herald said the trail of often racy Internet messages between Kusy and the boy convinced them of her guilt, especially because the messages indicated she was aware of his age.

North Dakota District Judge Debbie Kleven ordered Kusy jailed here until she posted $50,000 bond, higher than the amount requested by her court-appointed defense attorney David Ogren.

The jury convicted Kusy of two counts of sexual assault of a minor and one count of luring a minor sexually over the Internet. All are class C felonies that each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 3.

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Tennessee Woman Accused of Luring Minor
[Previous 1/9/12 post]
(Grand Forks, North Dakota) Last Friday, a 46-year-old Tennessee woman, Cynthia Kusy, appeared in Grand Forks County District Court to face charges stemming from accusations she traveled from Knoxville to Grand Forks to have sex with a minor.

Kusy pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault and one count of luring a minor.

According to a court affidavit, Kusy initially met the 16-year-old online through the game Wizard 101 in November 2010. Between March 15 and April 12, they started talking about sex online, at one point discussing if they should wait until he turned 18.

Kusy traveled to Grand Forks April 14 and rented room 138 at the Travelodge Hotel. That night, she bought alcohol that the two drank and later had sex with the boy.

Information on arrest and booking is unavailable.