Palos Verdes Estates Man to Register as a Sex Offender
63-year-old Palos Verdes man will have to register as a sex offender and spend 90 days in jail for allegedly molesting teenage boys he invited to live in his Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes Estates homes. The Daily Breeze reports that he pleaded guilty in a Torrance court to misdemeanor counts of sexual battery by fraud and child molestation. He was charged with fondling two teenage boys who were allegedly thrown out of their homes. He allegedly groped the boys as they stayed in his house.
The victims, who are now young men, say that they did not come forward with the molestation accusations sooner because they needed a place to live. He was arrested after these allegations came to light. As part of his plea agreement, he will be placed on probation and forced to undergo sexual impulse counseling.
California Penal Code Section 288 makes it a crime to touch a child under the age of 14 for sexual purposes. Penalties for touching a child under 14 can result in up to eight years in a California state prison. If the minor was 16 or 17 years old, the case can be prosecuted as statutory rape, sexual battery, or as annoyance or molestation of a child under Penal Code Section 647.6.
