SAN FERNANDO (CNS) — A Newhall man was sentenced to 48 years in prison on Wednesday, Aug. 24, for lewd acts involving 10 children in crimes dating back as far as 2001.
Francisco Avendano, 42, pleaded no contest July 6 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 lewd act upon a child under 13. She was sentenced Aug. 5 to 52 weeks of sexual compulsion control classes, five years formal probation and a 10-year protective order, and was released from jail that day.
Avendano and Wadsworth were also 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 between 2001 and 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.