A jury in Suffolk County, New York, found a man guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing his 12-year-old daughter after she moved into his Long Island home.

The unidentified 48-year-old man, a resident of Wyandanch, was convicted Thursday of the acts, which began when the girl was 12 years old, The abuse continued until she turned 14, when she confided in a friend and a teacher at her school about what was happening at home, the New York Post reported. County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a press release that the girl's nightmare began after her father gained custody of her from a relative in another state, who had been her guardian at the time and was no longer able to care for her. He faces 50 years in prison. According to the district attorney, her father began manipulating and sexually abusing her, justifying his actions as "doing something to help her." "This 12-year-old victim was betrayed and raped by the person who was supposed to protect her: her father," Tierney said. "The victim will have to live with the scars of this for the rest of her life, but I am grateful that we were able to hold her father accountable for the unimaginable abuse he inflicted on her." The father, whose name was not released to protect the identity of his abused daughter, was found guilty of multiple counts of rape and other violent sexual offenses against a minor, as well as endangering the welfare of a child. He faces up to 50 years in prison and is due back in court on December 3 for sentencing.