A 44-year-old former youth basketball coach accused of molesting four girls in Orange County is scheduled to be arraigned next month on 16 felony charges, court records obtained Monday.
Carlos Francisco Juarez of Costa Mesa was arrested Thursday and posted $100,000 bail on Friday.
He was charged April 9 with seven counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14, four counts of lewd acts on a child 14 or 15, two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, and one count each of oral copulation of a minor, sexual penetration by a foreign object with a victim younger than 16, and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor who is three years younger than the perpetrator.
Juarez, who also faces sentencing enhancement allegations of substantial sexual conduct, is scheduled to be arraigned May 10 in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.
Juarez is accused of molesting victims between 11 and 14 years old in Irvine, Costa Mesa, Tustin and in unincorporated areas of the county, according to Irvine police. The alleged sexual assaults happened between 2005 and 2010, according to court record obtained by City News Service.
According to an Irvine police statement, the defendant met the girls, who were not acquainted, through his work as a club team’s basketball coach when they were in elementary school and “groomed the victims from a young age.”
Investigators suspect there may be more victims and asked anyone with information to call Detective John Sanders at (949) 724-7233 or through jsanders@cityofirvine.org.
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!