A Clovis attorney who was facing 80-years-to-life for molesting four minors agreed to a plea deal Wednesday less than two hours after hearing one of his victims testify about being abused for several years.
Robert Quinlan Bergstrom, 84, pleaded no contest to four counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a minor. He was originally charged with eight counts and could have been sentenced to prison for the remainder of his life.
Although he was arrested in 2024, Bergstrom was at the preliminary hearing phase of his case where a judge determines if there is enough evidence to proceed with a jury trial.
The hearing was expected to take up to two days, said prosecutor Brian Exline.
It lasted less than two hours.
Exline’s first witness was the 18-year-old granddaughter of the defendant who testified how she was inappropriately touched by Bergstrom during visits to her grandparents home for weekly Friday night dinners.
The victim, whose name is not being used because she is a sexual assault survivor, said the abuse began when she was four or five years old. The victim testified that Bergstrom would ask her to play cards in another room. As they played, he would rub her feet, gradually working his way up her thighs until he reached her private area.
Asked by the prosecutor if she ever told him to stop, she replied, “no.”
She testified that Bergstrom warned her to keep quiet about what he was doing or else she wouldn’t be allowed to visit and see her grandmother.
“I felt like I was going to get in trouble,” she said.
She didn’t reveal what happened to her until her mother asked her directly in May 2024. Family members and investigators soon discovered there were at least three other victims, all who were his grandchildren.
When the preliminary hearing resumed after a lunch break, Bergstrom’s attorney Eric Schweitzer announced his client had agreed to a plea bargain.
In exchange for pleading no contest to four felony counts, Exline dropped the remaining four counts and the sentencing enhancements.
Judge Alvin Harrell asked Bergstrom if he understood that by changing his plea he would go to prison for 12 years. He also made him aware he would have to register as a sex offender and if he re-offended he could be sent to the state hospital as a sexually violent predator.
“I understand,” Bergstrom said.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 11 in Department 74.
This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 4:57 PM.
The Fresno Bee
A Valley native, Robert has worked at The Fresno Bee since 1994, covering various topics including education, business, courts and agriculture.