OXNARD : Man Gets 9 Years for Role in Gang Rape
A Ventura County Superior Court judge has sentenced an Oxnard man to nine years in prison for his role in the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Oxnard in October.
Judge Steven Z. Perren on Friday gave Oscar Rivera, 23, the maximum prison term for one count each of rape by force, rape by force or fear and possession of cocaine.
Rivera pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 17 with the understanding that prosecutors would drop a variety of sexual assault and statutory rape charges that could have pushed his sentence up to 56 years if he were convicted, said his attorney, Willard P. Wiksell.
Two other defendants in the Oct. 3 rape, Oscar Ponce, 29, and Carlos Tamayo, 28, have pleaded guilty to the same charges as Rivera and are scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in Superior Court, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice E. Koenig.
On Oct. 3, the three drove the girl to a field near Gonzales Road, west of Victoria Avenue, where they raped her, authorities said.
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