Paso Robles man convicted of child sex crimes, faces more than 100 years in prison
A jury convicted a Paso Robles man of multiple child sex crimes Thursday — and he now faces more than 100 years in state prison.
Francisco Pablo Zaragoza Guzman, 46, was convicted of two counts of sexual penetration of a child under 10, one count of oral copulation of a child under 10 and six counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 using force, fear or duress after about a monthlong trial, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
The jury also found that Zaragoza Guzman committed the crimes against multiple victims under 14, which carried a sentencing enhancement to allow for multiple consecutive life sentences, the agency said.
The crimes took place in Paso Robles and Santa Maria between 2006 and 2013. Victims, law enforcement, medical personnel and experts on the effects of sex abuse on children all testified during the trial.
District Attorney Dan Dow commended the two “brave survivors who were courageous to report the horrific abuse they were forced to endure as young children.”
“Their resilience has enabled them to testify in court and to endure the pressure of cross examination by an experienced criminal defense lawyer,” Dow said in the release. “The guilty verdicts are a step toward justice and the ongoing process of healing.”
Zaragoza Guzman faces a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in state prison and a lifetime registration as a sex offender, the District Attorney’s Office said. His sentencing was scheduled for June 6.
