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After 15 years of lewd acts on the children of family members and friends, a Newhall man who pleaded “no contest” could get 49 years in state prison when he is sentenced next month.
And his live-in girlfriend who pleaded no contest to one count of a lewd act on a child could also receive jail time at the same sentencing.
Francisco Avendano, 42, is facing a 49-year state prison sentence for his plea to 12 counts of lewd act upon a child under 14, two counts of lewd act on a child 14 years old and one count each of continuous sexual abuse and lewd act upon a child 15 years old, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Avendano’s live-in girlfriend, Jacqueline Wadsworth, 32, pleaded no contest to one count of a lewd act upon a child under 13. She is facing an undetermined amount of jail time, probation and mandatory enrollment in a sexual compulsion program, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The two — who are set to be sentenced Aug. 3 in a San Fernando courtroom — are also expected to be ordered to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives.
The charges involved 10 children between 3 and 15 years old who were victimized from January 2001 to December 2015, according to Deputy District Attorney Julie Kramer. The victims included family members, family friends and the children of Avendano’s friends, the prosecutor said.
Avendano and Wadsworth were arrested March 31 following an investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and pleaded no contest in court Wednesday.
–Staff and wire reports
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