Ewing High student-athlete pleads guilty to aggravated violence in both sex assault cases
TRENTON » The Ewing High School student-athlete accused of sexually assaulting two women at knifepoint is serving five years behind bars after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
Yusif Bangura, 18, has been committed to juvenile detention until he reaches the age of 21, according to the judgments of conviction. He confessed to aggravated assault under a plea deal that tossed out his alleged sex crimes and other indictable offenses.
He attacked a woman on Aug. 8, 2016, and assaulted another woman on March 27, 2017. Both incidents occurred on Clive Court near Bangura’s Ewing Township residence. Authorities accused him of luring the victims to the scene through online solicitation and then forcibly engaging the victims in sexual activity.
The former football star and wrestler effectively ended his Ewing Blue Devil glory days by getting in serious trouble away from the field and mat. Authorities arrested Bangura on March 30, 2017, later waiving him up to adult court. He was a 16-year-old juvenile when he committed both offenses.
A grand jury handed up an indictment on Dec. 13, 2017, charging Bangura with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, one count of third-degree aggravated assault, one count of third-degree criminal restraint, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, one count of fourthdegree unlawful possession of a weapon and one count of third-degree invasion of privacy in recording a sex act without consent in connection with the first attack. A grand jury handed up another indictment on Dec. 19, 2017, charging Bangura with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault by force or coercion, one count of third-degree criminal restraint, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and one count of fourth-degree invasion of privacy in recording a sex act without consent in connection with the second attack.
If he was convicted of those heavy crimes, Bangura would have faced significant prison exposure and would have been required to register as a sex offender. Defense attorney Scott A. Krasny and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office negotiated a plea bargain calling for Bangura to plead guilty in both cases to lesser offenses.
Bangura confessed on Nov. 28, 2018, pleading guilty to two separate accusations charging him with second-degree aggravated assault, according to court records.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier accepted Bangura’s plea agreements on Feb. 1, finding the recommended punishment to be “fair and in the interest of justice.”
Under the terms of the plea bargain, Billmeier dismissed both indictments against Bangura, including the multiple counts of sexual assault. Bangura had no prior history of juvenile delinquency before committing his assaults, according to both judgments of conviction. The judge sentenced Bangura to five years of concurrent incarceration for both attacks. Specifically, Billmeier committed Bangura to the custody of the executive director of the Juvenile Justice Commission for a term of five years to be served in a state juvenile facility until he reaches the age of 21. This arrangement means Bangura will spend very little time, if any, in a big house adult prison.
Bangura received 673 days of jail credit for being in custody from March 30, 2017, through Jan. 31, 2019. He was ordered to provide a DNA sample and ordered to pay the costs for testing of the sample provided. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence behind bars before being paroled. Then he will be subjected to three years of parole supervision.