JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video attached to this story is from a previous, related report.
The case of a Jacksonville city attorney who was accused of molesting a child between the ages of 12 and 14 has sparked outrage on social media after he was sentenced to serve two days in jail. He was not ordered to register as a sex offender.
Christopher Ambrosio, 48, was previously charged with lewd/lascivious molestation on a victim between 12 and 16 and contributing to the delinquency of a child (when an adult induces, entices, or encourages a minor to break the law).
On August 30, those charges were dropped and Ambrosio was instead charged with child abuse.
During Friday's hearing, he was sentenced to two days in jail, with credit for the two days he already served, and five years of probation.
He must also actively participate and complete sex offender treatment program and have no contact with the victim directly or indirectly.
Since the sentencing, there has been an outcry from the public on social media, with many believing the sentencing was too light and the justice system is broken.
"More proof that the American justice system is a Just-Us system. The American justice system is like the spider's web that's designed to catch flies while it let's the spiders move about freely," wrote one man on Facebook.
Others called the sentencing a "slap in the face to the victim," a "miscarriage of justice," "a travesty" and "a disgrace." One commenter pointed out that while Ambrosio got two days in jail, his victim will live with this for the rest of her life.
"Who amongst us think that our daughters and granddaughters are safe, now that he’s been ordered to have no contact with the victim?" wrote another.
Ambrosio, who was on paid administrative leave after his arrest, submitted a resignation letter dated April 1, according to documents filed with the City of Jacksonville Beach.
Ambrosio was arrested on March 24, 2021, for an accident that allegedly happened February 19, 2021.
Ambrosio's arrest report describes an incident where Ambrosio invited the victim for a sleepover, met up with her at the Whole Foods in Jacksonville Beach to pick her up and drove her to his home.
The arrest report says that police went to the grocery store and confirmed that Ambrosio had purchased White Claws and Smirnoff Ices at the Whole Foods before he took the victim to his home, where he gave her the alcohol.
After this, he took the victim to his home, where the victim said he then asked her to take off her clothes, took his own clothes off and inappropriately touched her, according to police records. She immediately told her parents, who came to pick her up.
Police say Ambrosio admitted to giving the victim alcohol, but told a different version of the night's events and denied accusations of sexual misconduct. When police arrested him, he allegedly said "Is this about the White Claw?"
Ambrosio was a close friend of the family. The police report says he knew the victim's parents for 30 years.
In a letter to the court, the victim's family described the pain that this betrayal by a close friend caused.
"When this case is closed -- our family will not have full closure... Our child is forever changed by the events that happened that night and we may never know the full extent of the hurt Chris Ambrosio has caused. Trust has been shattered and may never return. Innocence was stolen," the letter says.
The letter also says that Ambrosio "failed to state he was wrong that evening and denied everything," and that the incident was "not a mistake... It was a pre-planned and calculated crime."
Ambrosio has been under GPS surveillance since his original arrest. He will now have the monitoring device removed and re-enter the public, according to court records.
Judge London Kite for the Fourth Circuit Judicial Court declined to comment.
First Coast News has reached out to the State Attorney's office for comment on this case.
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