Bay Shore school bus driver pleads guilty in child sex assault case

A former Bay Shore school district bus driver accused of multiple sexual assaults of a 12-year-old girl faces well over a decade in prison after his guilty plea Tuesday, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Miguel Enrique Diaz, 49, of Bay Shore, repeatedly raped the child in his home and his car, which he used for work as an Uber driver, Tierney said in a news release Tuesday. The abuse took place between December 2022 and October 2023, Tierney said.

The girl reported the abuse to her mother in March 2024, resulting in an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Section, Tierney’s office said. 

Before his arrest, Enrique Diaz worked as a bus driver for Suffolk Transportation Services Inc., through which he served Bay Shore Middle School and Brook Elementary School students, Newsday previously reported.

"As soon as we became aware of the situation, the employee was removed from service and terminated from employment," Thomas W. Smith, the chief operating officer for Suffolk Transportation, told Newsday in a Tuesday  phone interview. 

Jason Russo, the defense attorney representing Enrique Diaz, told Newsday on Tuesday his client pleaded guilty in an effort to  "accept responsibility so hopefully everybody can move forward and heal."

In a letter to parents following Enrique Diaz's arrest, district Superintendent Steven Maloney said the assaults alleged at the time "did not occur on district property, within district buildings, or on buses transporting students for the district," Newsday reported.

"We have no further information than what was provided in March 2024," Maloney told Newsday on Tuesday in an email via a spokesperson.

Enrique Diaz pleaded guilty on Tuesday before acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead to first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, Tierney’s release said.

His conviction "represents a measure of justice for the young victim who showed tremendous courage in coming forward," Tierney said.

Enrique Diaz is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on April 24, Tierney said. Wilutis is expected to sentence him to 16 years imprisonment and 15 years of supervision following his release. He must also register as a sex offender.