by Kate Anderson
An illegal immigrant is due to appear in an Ohio court Wednesday for his trial after he allegedly raped a minor who was nine years old at the time.
In July 2022, Gerson Fuentes, who the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced in 2022 was in the country illegally, was charged with two counts of felony rape after he was accused of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old in Ohio twice between January and May 12, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The minor obtained an abortion in Indiana at the age of 10, leading police to arrest Fuentes (pictured above), who is set to stand trial this week for the charges in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, in Ohio.
Prosecutors involved in the case announced that Fuentes was the father of the girl’s child, and argued that there was more than enough evidence that he had committed the crime, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Under the current charges, Fuentes faces up to life in prison without parole, according to Ohio law, but there is a possibility he could accept a plea deal with lesser charges and an immediate sentence.
Fuentes’ legal team has questioned the authenticity of the DNA results and his confession to the rape, according to CNN. One of Fuentes’ attorneys, Bryan Bowen, told prosecutors that to his knowledge his client had no previous criminal history, according to Dayton 24/7 Now, a local news outlet.
The case gained national attention after Indiana abortionist Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who performed the procedure on the minor, talked about the incident with a reporter for the Indianapolis Star, prompting Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita to launch an investigation. Bernard filed a lawsuit against Rokita, arguing that she had followed the law and reported the abortion to the police due to concerns about a potential rape, but later withdrew the suit after a judge ruled in favor of Rokita’s investigation.
The Indiana Medical Licensing Board conducted its own investigation into Bernard’s behavior and concluded that she had violated her patient’s right to privacy by talking to the press and fined her $3,0000.
Fuentes attorney did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Kate Anderson is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.Â
