ICE officer indicted on child rape charge

SALEM – A Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer from Miami, Florida, has been indicted by an Essex County grand jury on charges he raped a child at a Peabody motel in 2007.Neil Julien, 50, of Penbroke Pines, Florida, is facing a charge of rape of a child involving an incident that occurred at the Hampton Hotel, located at 59 Newbury St., in Peabody.The indictment states that he unnaturally raped the teenage girl, who was age 13 at the time and the daughter of his ex-girlfriend, on June 10, 2007 at Peabody.Julien was visiting the North Shore area with them at the time for a family event.The allegation recently came to light when Julien was arrested on multiple domestic abuse charges in Penbroke Pines involving the same victim.The victim reportedly told authorities Julien had assaulted her several times.Julien has currently been relieved of his duties.It is not known yet when he will be brought back to Massachusetts to face the charge.He faces up to life in state prison if convicted.Assistant District Attorney Jessica Strasnick is prosecuting the case for the commonwealth.An indictment is not an indication of guilt: rather it is a legal process that allows a case to be presented to a grand jury for review by the district attorney?s office and the punishment is more severe than a district court case.