A judge has sentenced a San Francisco Bay Area mother to 35 years in prison after her conviction for a slew of crimes resulting from hosting drunken sex parties for young teenagers.<\/p>\n
Widely known as the \u201cLos Gatos party mom\u201d, a nickname that references her hometown, 52-year-old Shannon O\u2019Connor was convicted of four dozen crimes in March, including child endangerment, dissuading witnesses from reporting a crime and facilitating forcible sexual assault. Her sentence was the maximum allowed under state law.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor must also register as a sex offender.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t some fun parent giving sips of wine spritzers to kids,\u201d Santa Clara district attorney Jeff Rosen wrote in a statement<\/a>. \u201cShe facilitated dangerous and drunken sex acts with these children. She risked their lives and damaged their psyches. She is not a party mom. Shannon O\u2019Connor is a convicted felon. Shannon O\u2019Connor is a registered sex offender.\u201d<\/p>\n During a series of parties<\/a>, O\u2019Connor bought Fireball whiskey, vodka and condoms for teens mostly aged 14 and 15, allowed them to drink to the point of vomiting, then declined to seek medical attention for them. In some cases, she encouraged the drunken teens to have sex with each other or placed them into rooms together, including in instances where they were too drunk to consent.<\/p>\n Several victims testified in court that they had been sexually assaulted or traumatized in O\u2019Connor\u2019s care.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor hid her activity from other parents as well as her husband.<\/p>\n \u201cMy actions are the cause for your pain and I am ashamed,\u201d she said in court, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News<\/a>. \u201cAnd I face every day knowing that I was the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am not sorry for myself, I am sorry for all of you and what I put you through,\u201d O\u2019Connor added. \u201cBut as I look at you all today, I hope you can find some comfort knowing that I have been punished and will continue to be for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n