Corona resident Julio Fernando Pina-Illescas was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years to life in prison on Aug. 17 for sexually assaulting a child relative over the course of 10 years, beginning when the girl was 4 years old, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday.
Pina-Illescas, 39, was convicted last month by a jury on charges of predatory sexual assault of a child and endangering the welfare of a child before Queens Supreme Court Justice David Kirschner.
In a separate case, Pina-Illescas has been charged with abusing two other pre-teen girls.
According to the charges and trial testimony, between approximately August 2009 and October 2019, beginning when the victim was 4, Pina-Illescas sexually molested and raped the victim on numerous occasions. The abuse occurred inside Pina-Illescas’ two places of residence in Corona.
In the separate case, Pina-Illescas was indicted in 2020 on two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child for abusing another child relative and other young girl. The case is pending, according to the Queens DA’s office.
“This defendant, now a convicted sexual predator, used his access and authority to prey on an innocent child,” Katz said. “While we cannot take away the trauma caused by his acts, I hope the prison sentence provides a measure of closure to the young victim, who bravely stepped forward to tell us about the horrors she was forced to endure. My office will pursue full accountability in the separate indictment against the defendant.”
Justice Kirschner sentenced Pina-Illescas to 17.5 years to life in prison, to be followed by five years post-release supervision. Pina-Illescas will also be required to register as a sex offender.
