PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man who had been accused of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 14 over a period of several years has been convicted by a jury of multiple charges, the state attorney general’s office said Thursday.

Milton Aponte, 43, of Pawtucket, awaits sentencing after being found guilty after about four hours of jury deliberations earlier this week of first-degree child molestation, three counts of second-degree child molestation, and simple assault, according to a statement.

Aponte assaulted the girl, who was known to him, from 2012 until 2018 when she was between 8 and 13 years of age, prosecutors said. She reported the abuse to police in 2018.

“While nothing can reverse the damage the defendant has caused, it is my hope that his conviction and the lengthy sentence of imprisonment he now faces will bring a measure of justice for the victim and her family,” Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement.

Aponte is being held without bail pending sentencing. He had previously been convicted by a jury of first-degree child molestation in 1998, and was released in 2012.