A federal grand jury in Fresno, California, has indicted former California Superior Court Judge Adolfo Corona on five counts related to sexual assault and obstruction of justice. The indictment was announced by the Justice Department.
According to the charges, Corona, 66, is accused of sexually assaulting a 33-year-old court employee in a courthouse stairwell on March 14, 2024. The indictment also alleges that Corona made false statements during interviews with both the FBI and court administrators about his actions regarding this incident.
In addition to these allegations, Corona is charged with obstructing an investigation into claims that he sexually assaulted another court employee, aged 43. On December 5, 2023, Victim 2 was reportedly found passed out and alone in Corona’s chambers after being alone with him for approximately two hours. The indictment states that Corona falsely told the FBI he had left her alone while he went to pick up a motorcycle and attempted to persuade a motorcycle dealership employee to alter company records to support his alibi.
If convicted, Corona could face up to 40 years in prison for the sexual assault charge and up to 20 years for each obstruction charge. Sentencing would be determined by a federal judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California, and Special Agent in Charge Siddhartha Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office jointly announced the indictment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California and Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
“An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
