RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A California man who admitted to sexually assaulting five girls was sentenced on Friday to 335 years in prison
Eliezer Job Mendoza Quevedo, 49, of Riverside, pleaded guilty in February to 17 felony offenses, including forcible lewd acts on a child and attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to The Press-Enterprise.
The admissions were not part of a plea deal and were made after jury selection had been completed for the suspect’s trial at the Riverside Hall of Justice, according to the newspaper.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst asked Quevedo if he understood his rights and the defendant reportedly acknowledged the implications, the Vigour Times reported.
According to the district attorney’s office, Quevedo allegedly targeted four of his nieces and an unrelated girl, the newspaper reported. The children were between the ages of 8 and 10 at the time of the alleged assaults.
The investigation began in April 2021, when one of the victims, who was 19 at the time, approached officials with the Riverside Police Department, the Press-Enterprise reported. Counselors had encouraged the victim to speak out, according to court records.
Quevedo was arrested on April 16, 2021, the newspaper reported.
He had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, according to the Times.