Salinas man to spend decades in prison for molesting step-daughter

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Salinas man found guilty of 26 counts of child molestation will spend 46 years in prison, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

Regino Maciel, 53, was found guilty of sexually abusing his step-daughter over the course of nine or 10 years.

In April 2018, the victim, who was 29 years old by then, reported that Maciel sexually abused her when she was about 4 or 5 years old until she was 14 and told her a couple times not to tell anyone.

When the victim was 14, a family member walked into a room and saw Maciel exposing his penis to her. The family member and the victim's mother asked her if Maciel was molesting her, but the victim denied it. The victim's mother immediately kicked Maciel out of the house anyway.

During the trial, the DA's office said the victim testified about the molestation, and an expert in the psychological effects of child sexual abuse testified about how common delayed disclosures are. The expert said it could happen for several reasons, including power imbalance, threats, fear and even affection if the abuser is a family member, friend or authority figure.

Twenty-five of the child molestation counts are considered violent felonies under California's Three Strikes Law. Maciel will also have to register as a sex offender for life and will not be allowed to contact the victim for 10 years.