QUEENS, NY – Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the sentencing of Julio Fernando Pina-Illescas, 39, to 17.5 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a child relative over a decade, beginning when the girl was just 4 years old. Pina-Illescas has also been charged in a separate case with abusing two other pre-teen girls.
Pina-Illescas, of Corona, was convicted by a jury on charges of predatory sexual assault of a child and endangering the welfare of a child. Supreme Court Justice David J. Kirschner sentenced him to 17.5 years to life in prison, with an additional five years of post-release supervision. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to the charges and trial testimony, the abuse began in August 2009 and continued until October 2019. Pina-Illescas sexually molested and raped the victim on numerous occasions, all occurring within his two places of residence in Corona.
District Attorney Katz characterized Pina-Illescas as a convicted sexual predator who used his access and authority to prey on an innocent child. She expressed hope that the prison sentence would provide some closure to the young victim, who bravely came forward to disclose the horrors she endured.
In a separate indictment, Pina-Illescas was charged in 2020 with two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child for abusing another child relative and another young girl. The case is currently pending. District Attorney Katz affirmed her office’s commitment to pursuing full accountability in the separate case against the defendant.