A former youth soccer coach in California recently learned that he will spend nearly two centuries in prison for the ongoing sexual molestation of a child over a period of roughly seven years.
Jesus Anthony Magana, 39, was sentenced to 155 years to life in prison as well as an additional sentence of 20 years on Oct. 19, 2022, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Magana’s trial was held over the summer. The defendant maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to each count against him. Ultimately, Ventura County jurors found him guilty on all counts.
The Oxnard man previously coached for the American Youth Soccer Organization, according to the DA’s office. On Sept. 7, 2022, he was convicted of five counts of unlawful acts on a child 10 years of age or younger, four counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and seven counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14.
The crimes charged were committed against the same minor victim. Two other alleged victims testified during his trial.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Office records reviewed by Law&Crime, the defendant was arrested in April 2020.
“The defendant betrayed a position of trust to gain access to children,” Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Amber Lee said in a statement after the sentence was returned.
“The sentence reflects the depravity of his conduct but also the hard work of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation and the strength of the witnesses,” the lead prosecutor continued. “I hope this sentence provides some level of closure for the victims and protects our community from future harm by this defendant.”
Under California law, the defendant was also accused of several aggravating factors – including that his victim was vulnerable, that he abused a position of trust, and that substantial sexual conduct occurred during the course of the abusive relationship. Magana denied each of those aggravating factor claims. But the court, in the end, found that each of those additional allegations was true, according to Ventura County Court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
In sum, the defendant was found guilty on 16 separate criminal counts while the court “found true” 25 separate circumstances in aggravation – which more or less function as additional felonies under the rules of the Golden State court system.
According to Fox News, the court issued a series of protective orders for the victim and the two other alleged victims who testified during Magana’s trial. Those orders will be in effect for 10 years. Magana was also reportedly ordered to never contact his victim “in person, by mail, by phone or in any other manner either directly or indirectly.”
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek D. Malan also ordered the defendant to pay restitution to the victim’s parents. Court records show that Magana currently owes nearly $9,000 in fees.
Several hundred miles away, in Texas, a soccer coach from the small town of Adrian, Michigan was recently brought up on 18 sexual assault charges for allegedly sexually abusing a player while they were 11 years old through 16 years old. The defendant in that case, Andrew Olnhausen, 34, will soon be extradited to Michigan.
[image via Ventura County District Attorney’s Office]
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