Filipino in Maryland accused of child sex abuse out on bail

Accused teacher, Erwin Magnaye. FILAMSTAR PHOTO

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Erwin Magnaye, the Filipino teacher who was arrested last month for allegedly sexually abusing a student at Paca Elementary School in Landover, Maryland, recently was released from the state’s Department of Corrections. He currently is out on bail and is awaiting his preliminary hearing.

“On May 18, 2015, a consular team from the Embassy was able to visit Mr. Magnaye at the facility where he was detained. He was temporarily released days later after posting bail and is now awaiting the schedule of the preliminary hearing,” an official embassy statement said.

Magnaye, 39, from Laurel, Maryland, was accused of having inappropriate encounters with a 9-year old boy beginning in September 2014.

According to police reports filed by the boy’s mother in February, Magnaye kissed her son and also inappropriately touched him on several occasions while the two were alone in a classroom.

On top of the charges of sexual abuse of a minor he is also being charged with second-degree assault, along with several other offenses.

Magnaye, a math and science instructor, had been under the surveillance of the Prince George Police Department for months prior to his arrest. He is now on administrative leave.

The Philippine Embassy is keeping close watch on the case and constantly updating the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines on developments, said Vice Consul Darell Ann Artates of the embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section.

It is also coordinating with Magnaye’s friends and colleagues in Maryland any assistance he may need.

Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), a Washington D.C.-based law firm, said it was extending pro bono consultation services to Magnaye to ensure due process and afford him the opportunity to defend himself in the courts.

A crowd-funding platform called Funded Justice is also extending assistance to Magnaye. The partnership will allow supporters the ability to have a centralized location to raise funds.

“Good people with good cases either can’t hire the right attorney or anyone at all, because they can’t afford it,” Funded Justice CEO Michael Helfand said. “The sad truth is that if you can’t afford the right attorney, you don’t have a fair chance at justice.”

“Erwin Magnaye came from the Philippines to fulfill a dream and found his answers in teaching mathematics in PG County. He is kindhearted and selfless in nature,” the campaign page said. “It is saddening to hear of such accusations of a man who is a regular churchgoer and was an active leader in a global Christian young adult ministry.”

For more information, visit: Funded Justice or the Erwin Magnaye Defense Fund.

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