Salinas man facing 165 years in prison for raping young relatives

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Posted: Sep 27, 2023 / 08:14 AM PDT

Updated: Sep 27, 2023 / 08:45 AM PDT

(BCN) — A Salinas man found guilty of raping his two young relatives is facing 165 years in prison, Monterey County prosecutors said Tuesday.

Gabriel Porfirio Lopez, 42, was convicted of three counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years, one count of sexual penetration with a child under 10 Years, eight counts of forcible lewd act on a child under 14 years, one count of lewd act on a child under 14 years, and one count of forcible rape of a child under 14 years.

Lopez was also convicted of a multiple victim enhancement for committing child molestation upon more than one victim, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

According to prosecutors, he sexually molested his two relatives, who were then under 10 years of age, when nobody else was present and when they were under his care or custody because their mother was working.

Lopez often told his relatives to be quiet after molesting them. Both victims did not reveal the abuse until many years later, prosecutors said.

All 14 counts against Lopez are violent felonies and are considered “strikes” under California’s Three Strikes law, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He will be sentenced on Nov. 7.

Lopez will be required to register as a sex offender for life, prosecutors said.