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Man raped underaged boys with developmental disabilities, more victims out there: Prosecutor

 

Booking photo of Michael Toney. Source: Hamilton County Justice Center

A Cincinnati man sexually assaulted three developmentally disabled boys by currying favor with their families to gain access to them, according to prosecutors.

A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Michael Toney, 34, for two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and one count of gross sexual imposition.

Prosecutor Melissa Powers said in a news release that Toney bought the boys’ adult family members gifts. That allowed him to gain their trust and access to the children.

“It is absolutely appalling that someone could commit such heinous acts against vulnerable children,” Powers said. “The courage of these victims coming forward not only ensures their safety, but also prevents this individual from doing this to any other child.” 

Powers said the boys disclosed the abuse and police found video evidence to support their claims.

According to the indictment, the incidents happened between May 2021 and May of this year.

Powers said she has significant concerns that there are more victims out there. She encouraged anyone with information to contact the Cincinnati Police Department’s Personal Crime Unit at 513-352-3542. 


Toney faces a maximum sentence of 36 years in prison if convicted. He is being held in the Hamilton Co. Justice Center.

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Angenette Levy is a correspondent and host for the Law&Crime Network. Angenette has worked in newsrooms in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Cincinnati, Ohio. She has covered a number of high-profile criminal cases in both state and federal courts throughout her career including the trials of Steven Avery, Brooke “Skylar” Richardson and most recently the trials of Kyle Rittenhouse and former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. She was nominated for an Emmy in 2015 for a story she covered in which she found a missing toddler who was the subject of an Amber Alert. Angenette is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati.