Milwaukee County Courthouse
MILWAUKEE - Marco Melendez, a former children’s choir director facing child sex crime charges, appeared in court on Monday, July 1, for an initial appearance.
He did not appear in intake court, but before Judge Kies. Kies set a $10,000 cash bond and Melendez is due back in court on July 9.
Melendez was ordered to report to the Milwaukee County Jail to be booked and released by 5:00 pm on July 9. If he fails to appear, a bench warrant will be issued.
Melendez is charged with child enticement and third-degree sexual assault.
Case details
According to a criminal complaint, the now 23-year-old victim told police he joined the Milwaukee Children's Choir in 2013. He said Melendez was the director and would "make inappropriate comments to the boys in the class" about "hooking up with guys" and about the choir members' "sex lives."
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The victim told police Melendez would periodically give him rides. Per the complaint, the victim said Melendez had given him a ride approximately 100 times, and 80 of those instances involved Melendez inappropriately touching the victim.
In later years, as they had gotten to know each other, the victim told police Melendez would invite him and others over to his Washington Heights home to watch movies and drink alcohol. There, too, the victim said Melendez would touch him inappropriately. In 2017, while still a minor, the victim said Melendez offered to perform a sex act on him.
Melendez told the victim not to tell anyone, per the complaint, because he said it would ruin his career.
In 2019, the complaint states Melendez served the victim – who was then an adult – alcohol drinks and performed a nonconsensual sexual act on the victim.
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Police spoke to another person, who the victim said was a member of the choir. According to the complaint, that person said Melendez would "talk about sex to the boys and discuss childhood experiences and being ‘gay.'" He would also text members of the choir in a group chat and invite them over to drink alcohol. The person also said Melendez encouraged the victim to "get naked" on one occasion when everyone was drinking. He estimated there were two-to-five shots of liquor in the mixed drinks Melendez provided.
Melendez left Milwaukee Children's Choir, which no longer exists, in 2017.