Salinas man convicted of sexual abuse of a minor sentenced to prison

A Salinas man convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a minor and paying for her silence was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison.

43-year-old Jose Francisco Barajas was found guilty of repeatedly molesting a girl starting when she was 12 years old. A jury found that he had substantial sexual conduct with her when she was under the age of 15, then engaged in a lewd and lascivious act when she was 15 and then kept her from reporting what he did by paying her and telling her that her father would be deported.

The girl and her parents gave victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing. In her statement, the victim talked about the effects the abuse and silencing had on her. She said she was not able to tell anyone what was happening because Barajas told her that her father would be deported and she would break up the family. She also said that she would self-harm to cope with what happened to her, and that she still has feelings of guilt as a result of victim-blaming from relatives.

Her parents also gave victim impact statements describing the effects the abuse had on their family. The victim’s father said he developed issues with anxiety, recurring nightmares and difficulty sleeping as a result. The girl’s mother told the judge- “We trusted this man. We thought he was family,” and described how he abused their trust. Her mother also talked about the mental health issues all of her children faced once the abuse became public.

At the hearing, the judge said Barajas abused the family’s trust, bought the victim’s silence and exploited her vulnerability. He also referred to statements from family members describing the effects of Barajas’ actions impacting his sentencing decision.

In addition to prison time, Barajas will have to register as a sex offender for life and pay a restitution.

KION 2019