A 69-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 101 years to life in prison for molesting four girls in Anaheim.
Tomas Cruz was convicted Aug. 19 of nine felony sex charges involving the girls dating back to 2011, according to court records. He faced a maximum of 193 years to life in prison, prosecutors said in a sentencing brief.
“Here, the defendant demonstrated a pattern of repeated sexual abuse of multiple children, over the course of multiple years, and involved significant and substantial sexual conduct,” Deputy District Attorney Scott Wooldridge said in a sentencing brief. “The victims lived in the same house as defendant. He took advantage of his position of trust and authority and instead of providing a loving and safe environment for his grandchildren, he sexually assaulted them.”
Cruz lived with the victims in a multifamily home with 16 relatives, police testified at his preliminary hearing.
Multiple victims said they were assaulted when they were about 5 years old, Wooldridge said.
One of the girls said the molestation started when she was 5 years old, police testified. Another girl, who was about seven months younger, said she was also molested, police said.
Another girl said she was molested, starting when she was 10 years old, and another said she was 6 or 7 years old when she was attacked, police said.
Cruz’s attorney, Justin Kolacinski of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, argued for a term of 25 years to life in prison.
Kolacinski said a court-appointed psychologist concluded that Cruz was a low risk for recidivism. The psychologist said the defendant “suffered after a disabling work injury,” which led to a loss of identity that is common in incest-type cases.
The defense attorney also said 40 letters were written in support of Cruz for the sentencing.
“They describe, consistently and independently, a hardworking, humble, respectful, and family-devoted man who helped those around him and had never been known to behave improperly,” Kolacinski wrote in a sentencing brief.