Garden Grove church volunteer sentenced to only five years in prison after molesting a 14-year old girl repeatedly

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 14WF4071

Date: January 3, 2018

GARDEN GROVE CHURCH VOLUNTEER SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR CONTINUALLY SEXUALLY ABUSING 14-YEAR-OLD CHURCH MENTEE

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Garden Grove church volunteer was sentenced today to five years in state prison for continually sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl he mentored at church.

Defendant: Vincent Daniel Lavello, 53, Garden Grove

Pleaded guilty on Aug. 17, 2015, to the following felony counts:

• (3) Lewd acts upon a child
• Unlawful sexual intercourse

Sentence:

• Five years in state prison
• Register as a sex offender pursuant to PC 290

Circumstances of the Case

• At the time of the crimes, Lavello was in a position of trust as a church volunteer in Garden Grove, where he met 14-year-old Jane Doe.
• Between June 20, 2014, and July 20, 2014, the defendant committed lewd acts upon Jane Doe on multiple occasions and engaged in unlawful sexual intercourse with the victim.
• Lavello groomed Jane Doe by providing financial assistance to the victim’s family, helping them get an apartment, and buying the victim gifts.
• In August 2015, inappropriate text messages from the defendant to Jane Doe were discovered and reported to the Garden Grove Police Department (GGPD), who investigated this case.
• GGPD officers arrested the defendant on Aug. 17, 2015.

Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Lexie Elliott, Sexual Assault Unit

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TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718

Michelle Van Der Linden,Spokesperson
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486