Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, a Santa Ana pastor, was convicted Monday of s*xually assaulting three girls he met at churches in Riverside, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.
Valdez was arrested in 2021. He was eventually convicted of seven felony counts of l*wd or l*scivious acts with a minor younger than 14 and three counts of oral c*pulation or s*xual penetration with a child 10 or younger. He was also hit with a sentencing enhancement for having multiple victims.
Valdez was pastor of International Mission Church USA at 505 S. Main St., according to the SAPD. Valdez was a member of Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer Church at 2020 W. Chestnut Ave. in Santa Ana, from 2014-2017.
It was at that church that he lured an 8-year-old girl into a van during a church service and s*xually assaulted her, according to the SAPD. He did nto stop there. He continued to repeatedly assault the girl in the same van for three years.
The girl told the police investigators that she was m*lested from the second through the fifth grades. The first attack happened when the defendant took her to a van in a parking lot of the church, according to police court testimony.
Valdez also m*lested the girl in his home in Riverside where he showed her a p*rno film, according to the SAPD.
Valdez would lure her into the van by saying he needed to comb her hair or required help with something and then he would touch her, according to the SAPD.
Sentencing for Valdez was set for Oct. 24.
What Valdez can expect from his sentencing
Based on his multiple felony convictions in California, Carlos Ramirez Valdez is facing a maximum sentence of 120 years to life in state prison. Several factors contribute to this extremely severe penalty:
Aggravated offenses
- L*wd or l*scivious acts with a child under 14: Under California Penal Code 288(a), a single count of this felony carries a potential prison sentence of up to eight years. Valdez was convicted on seven such counts.
- Oral c*pulation with a child under 10: Engaging in s*xual activity with a child 10 years old or younger can result in 15 years to life in prison for each offense under California law. Valdez was convicted on three of these counts.
Sentencing enhancements
The length of his sentence is greatly increased by the jury’s finding of a sentencing enhancement for multiple victims.
- One-Strike Law: Under California’s “One-Strike” law (Penal Code 667.61), certain aggravated s*x crimes involving multiple victims can result in sentences of 25 years to life for each victim.
- Consecutive sentences: California courts can impose consecutive sentences for multiple s*x offenses, particularly if they involve separate victims or the same victim on separate occasions. This means the prison terms for each count are served one after another rather than at the same time.
Other penalties
In addition to a lengthy prison sentence, a conviction for these crimes has other permanent consequences:
- Lifetime s*x offender registration: Valdez will be required to register as a Tier 3 s*x offender for the rest of his life.
- Three Strikes Law: Because some of his convictions are considered “strike offenses,” any future felony conviction he receives would trigger enhanced penalties under California’s Three Strikes Law.