Jersey City LEGO “Master” Sentenced For Molesting Kids

A New Jersey man who ran afterschool LEGO activity programs has been sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting to molesting children who participated in his classes.

Forty-two year-old Eric Sophie of Jersey City was sentenced Friday. He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and one count of endangering a minor.

The Jersey Journal reports that Sophie was arrested in November 2010 and charged with molesting two 5-year-old girls and an 8-year-old girl. He was subsequently charged in a fourth incident.

The incidents took place at the Ethical Community Charter School in Jersey City and the Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, where Sophie taught afterschool classes.

Sophie's intricate LEGO creations have been exhibited in numerous venues including Liberty State Park and on television.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)