A judge once gave a sexual predator a no-jail sentence. Now, he’s on trial for sexual battery
The judge retired in April, one month after the alleged assault took place
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Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
In 2017, a California judge gave a 43-year-old man who solicited nude photos from a teen girl three years of probation despite pleas for a jail sentence from her father.
That same judge now faces his own sexual abuse allegations.
Retired Fresno County Superior Court Judge Adolfo Corona was indicted in July on charges of sexual battery and sexual penetration by fear or force, according to ABC 30. Prosecutors say the assault happened on March 14, one month before Corona retired.
He appeared at the Fresno County Courthouse to plead not guilty Monday. His bail has been set at $70,000 and he faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
“At this time, we will acknowledge receipt of the indictment, waive formal arraignment and further advisement of Constitutional and statutory rights, and enter pleas of not guilty,” Corona’s defense attorney Eddie Ruiz said in court, ABC 30 reports.
Corona said he had “no comment” when approached by ABC 30 after the hearing.
Seven years ago, Corona sentenced Hugo Rabson to three years of probation after a jury convicted him of soliciting and receiving naked photos of a 14-year-old girl, the Los Angeles Times reports. The girl’s father, Todd Thomas, had asked the judge to hand down a jail sentence and was furious with his decision, the Times reports.
The case made headlines after Thomas posed as his daughter online and set up an in-person meeting with Rabson. He then captured the suspect in a citizen’s arrest before police arrested him later that day, the Times reports.
Rabson did not contest the charge, and Corona sentenced him to probation and required him to register as a sex offender. However, he did not require Rabson to wear a GPS ankle monitor, according to the Times.
“I wasn’t impressed, Thomas told the Times. “The fact that they were going to give this guy three years’ probation. I thought they were being soft. How do I tell the next dad to trust the system?”
Thomas has since started a non-profit called “Fathership,” which seeks to help men struggling with issues including anger management and domestic violence, he told the Times.
“I’m not surprised at all this judge is sympathetic to predators,” Thomas said. “I think the county definitely owes my family a whole bunch but I don’t think we’ll ever see it.”
“The case caused me to create something to help my community of men in the world today,” he continued.
The Independent has contacted Corona’s attorney for comment.
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