A California foster dad has received seven years in prison for abusing foster children he had assigned to care for in his home. Marcelino Olguin, 65, was handcuffed and led away by deputies after a jury found him guilty of lewd acts on a child, false imprisonment and injuring a child. Olguin’s wife, Rosa, and his daughter, Lennys, pleaded guilty to child cruelty. The women were each sentenced to four years of formal probation.
Todays sentencing marks a significant step in delivering justice to the victims who endured unimaginable abuse, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement per CNN. These children were placed in a position of vulnerability after surviving intense trauma, only to be further exploited by someone who was entrusted with their care.
The attorneys who represented the family said that Olguin took the plea agreement with the DA to spare the women jail time. My client saved his family, Paul Grech, Marcelino Olguins lawyer, said after the hearing. He refused to discuss the case further. In addition to the seven years, he will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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Also after the sentencing, a victim’s advocate read a statement that had been prepared by one of the children. All I wanted was to finally have a loving family and to recover from my trauma, but unfortunately I did not receive that, the statement said. The statement also stated that The victim, who was not named, is still recovering and learning to trust, but forgives the family in an act of faith.
It was previously reported that the Riverside parents had adopted nine children including several of the Turpin siblings. The story of the Turpin siblings made headlines in 2018 when all 13 children were rescued from their parents, Dave and Louis, when police suspected them of torturing them by depriving them of food and chaining them to their beds.
The couple both pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts and were sentenced to life in state prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Most of the children liberated were above the legal age and were free to live on their own, however, the minors were placed into the foster care system. It was later reported that five of the children went to live with Olguin and his family.
It was also reported that at the time of the adoption in April of 2018, Olguin and his family were aware of the children’s traumatic background and, according to the arrest affidavit, “forced the siblings to participate in a ‘circle confession talk.” Investigators also noted that the family had installed door chimes to alert them whenever the children entered or exited the room.
Olguin was also reportedly accused of touching the children sexually over 50 times, and telling them they were “sexy, recommended they not wear undershirts….and forced kissed them and pulled a minor on top of him.”