Garden Grove man convicted of molesting a 2-year-old girl

Case # 15WF0292

Date: June 20, 2018

MAN CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING AND COMMITTING LEWD ACTS ON 2-YEAR-OLD GIRL

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was convicted today of sexually assaulting and committing lewd acts on a 2-year-old girl.

Defendant:  Joseph Michael Hishmeh, 25, Garden Grove

Found guilty by a jury today of the following felony counts:

• (2) Sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger
• (5) Lewd acts upon a child under 14

Maximum Sentence: 46 years to life in state prison

Sentencing on Aug. 10, 2018, 9:00 a.m. at Department C-37, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana

Circumstances of the Case

• At the time of the crime, Hishmeh was in a position of trust with access to 2-year-old Jane Doe.
• Between April 30, 2014, and Sept. 1, 2014, Hishmeh committed lewd acts upon the victim in his home by touching her chest, vagina, and legs under her clothes with sexual intent.
• On two occasions, he digitally penetrated Jane Doe’s vagina.
• Video evidence of the assaults was discovered during an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
• The FBI continued the investigation with the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force (OCCETF).
• On Feb. 9, 2015, OCCETF investigators arrested Hishmeh at his home in Garden Grove.

OCCETF is comprised of members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Newport Beach Police Department. OCCETF investigates Internet-related crimes against children and crimes involving the possession, production, and distribution of child pornography.

Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Bobby Taghavi, Sexual Assault Unit.