The District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that Juan Carlos Medina, 27, was sentenced Monday to 16 years in state prison on five felony counts of non-forcible molestation of a 10-year-old girl. Judge Michael Carrozzo issued Medina the maximum sentence for his crimes. “The mother of the victim was present for the verdict and was relieved by the result,” said the District Attorney’s Office press release.
The five felony counts stem from crimes committed against a neighbor’s child, whom Medina sometimes babysat, between September 2009 and June 2012, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Paula Waldman. He was arrested in October 2013 for the crimes and had been in County Jail ever since. He had no prior criminal convictions before the molestations. Medina pleaded no contest to the charges on March 3, 2015.
“There is no amount of custody time that can restore the childhood of this ten-year-old who was victimized repeatedly by the defendant,” said Waldman. “I am pleased the court recognized that this crime deserved the maximum time allowable of 16 years. Now, the victim and her family can begin to restore their lives knowing that the defendant will not have any access to them for years to come.”