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Jason Valentine Esparza / Orange County District Attorney’s Office
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – A man has been convicted of molesting two young children and arranging for a four-year-old to be sexually assaulted after an eight-month-long undercover sting operation, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.Â
The sexual offenses are suspected to have occurred over several decades across Southern California.
What we know:
Jason Valentine Esparza, 60, was convicted last week of five felony counts of oral copulation of a child 10 years old or younger, three felony counts of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a specific offense, two felony counts of attempted forcible lewd act on a child under 14, and three felony counts of attempted oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child 10 years old or younger.
Dig deeper:
The Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) began investigating Esparza in September 2022 after receiving an anonymous cyber-tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program.
During the eight-month investigation, HBPD Crimes Against Persons Unit detectives communicated with Esparza while posing as an adult female who was babysitting a four-year-old girl.Â
During those communications, Esparza is accused of expressing his desire to perform very specific sexual acts on the child, and he employed tactics that were consistent with how a 2006 five-year-old victim was sexually assaulted.
On April 7, 2023, Esparza was told that the child was in a Huntington Beach hotel room, and he was arrested by undercover detectives when he entered the room. A subsequent investigation located child victims spanning decades in both Los Angeles and Orange counties.
What they’re saying:
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer commented on the conviction.
“Someone who preys on the innocence of children for their own sexual gratification is the embodiment of evil. We are grateful for the incredible work by the Huntington Beach Police Department and Deputy District Attorney Devin Crowley, and for their unwavering dedication to ensuring justice – for these young victims and all victims of pedophiles. We must continue to do the work to protect the most vulnerable of victims – our children.”
What’s next:
Esparza faces a maximum sentence of 75 years to life plus an additional 18 years and 8 months in state prison.
He is scheduled to be sentenced February 27, 2026.
The Source: This report is based on information from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.Â