A federal judge denied the motions on Monday to dismiss the five counts against retired Fresno Judge Adolfo Corona, who is accused of sexual assault inside the Fresno County Superior Court.
Corona was accused of luring a courthouse employee into a stairwell with the promise of a gift before sexually assaulting her, and lying to investigators during the query into an alleged second victim, prosecutors say.
An attorney for Corona, W. Scott Quinlan, argued the count with the greatest potential sentence — deprivation of rights under color of law — did not apply to his client in the allegations.
He said the prosecution alleges Corona was meeting the 32-year-old court employee in the stairwell for personal reasons not related to work.
“She was not under him or subject to his control or authority,” Quinlan said in federal court on Monday. “She was just someone working in the building. He was just someone else working in the building.”
The argument “may have legs” in front of a jury, but those arguments were not enough to win a dismissal of the counts, according to U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff.
“This hearing’s about whether they’ve alleged it, not can they prove it,” he said.
If convicted, Corona could be sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexual assault and 20 years each for the obstruction charges.
Corona’s next court appearance is April 8, according to the court docket.
Retired Judge Adolfo Corona accused of sexual assault
The 66-year-old retired from the Fresno County Superior Court in April 2024, a month after the alleged assault in the court stairwell.
A court filing includes an email conversation between Corona and the assistant on the day of the alleged assault in which they shared mundane gripes about bills before he offered to give the assistant a gift.
“I am here today in (Courtroom) 61. Have candy for (redacted) and will have something for you,” Corona wrote in the email to the assistant. “Still on the bench though. I will let you know when I am done.”
Prosecutors allege investigators were looking into a second victim and Corona attempted to obstruct the investigation, and lied to the FBI.
They allege a woman was found alone and unconscious with her pants unbuttoned in Corona’s chambers on Dec. 5, 2023. Corona and the woman had been in the chambers for about two hours, prosecutors say.
The judge told investigators he went to pick up a motorcycle, according to prosecutors. Investigators said Corona attempted to sway a dealership employee to change paperwork to make his story appear true.
Adolfo Corona, 65, a retired Fresno Superior Court judge, was indicted Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, of sexual assault charges, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said. This is an undated file photo. Fresno Bee file
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Reporter Thaddeus Miller has covered cities in the central San Joaquin Valley since 2010, writing about everything from breaking news to government and police accountability. A native of Fresno, he joined The Fresno Bee in 2019 after time in Merced and Los Banos.