July 16, 2019 at 10:21PM
Children's cheerleading coach, 30, is sentenced to six years in prison for sexually assaulting a drunk colleague, then 20, on a cruise from California to Mexico
- Anthony Paul De La Torriente, 30, was sentenced on Monday in Los Angeles
- He was convicted of sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact in February
- De La Torriente and the victim, then 20, worked together at CheerForce, a cheerleading and gymnastics instruction company in California
- They were on a cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada with coworkers in June 2015 when the victim got severely intoxicated and De La Torriente assaulted her
- A jury found she didn't consent and was physically unable to stop the sex acts
A former cheerleading coach has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman on a cruise from California to Mexico in 2015.
Anthony Paul De La Torriente, 30, was convicted of one count of sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact in February, according to officials with the US Attorney's Office Central District of California.
The assault occurred when the defendant and the victim, then 20, were on a Carnival cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada with their coworkers at CheerForce, a cheerleading and gymnastics instruction company for children ages four to 18, in June 2015.
A jury found that that the victim, who was severely intoxicated at the time, was physically unable to stop the sexual contact or had expressed her unwillingness to participate.
'I hope the fact that a jury of [the victim's] peers believed her provides some comfort,' Judge Dale Fischer said in a statement. 'I believe her, too.'
In addition to the jail time, De La Torriente, of Simi Valley, will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Anthony Paul De La Torriente, a 30-year-old former cheerleading coach, was sentenced to to six and a half years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting a woman on a cruise from California to Mexico in June 2015. The destination port in Ensenada is pictured in a file photo
Prosecutors said De La Torriente had volunteered to stay with the victim after she got overly drunk and had to go back to her cabin while the rest of their colleagues went to get food.
He double-locked the door from the inside and assaulted her as soon as they were alone.
When the colleagues returned, De La Torriente unlocked the door and the victim told them he had attacked her.
She alerted cruise ship staff and submitted to a rape kit, which detected De La Torriente's DNA.
Swabs taken from the inside and outside of his underwear matched the victim's DNA as well.
Authorities did not specify the defendant's relationship to the victim but hinted that they worked together.
Children's cheerleading coach, 30, is sentenced to six years in prison for sexually assaulting a drunk colleague, then 20, on a cruise from California to Mexico
- Anthony Paul De La Torriente, 30, was sentenced on Monday in Los Angeles
- He was convicted of sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact in February
- De La Torriente and the victim, then 20, worked together at CheerForce, a cheerleading and gymnastics instruction company in California
- They were on a cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada with coworkers in June 2015 when the victim got severely intoxicated and De La Torriente assaulted her
- A jury found she didn't consent and was physically unable to stop the sex acts
A former cheerleading coach has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman on a cruise from California to Mexico in 2015.
Anthony Paul De La Torriente, 30, was convicted of one count of sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact in February, according to officials with the US Attorney's Office Central District of California.
The assault occurred when the defendant and the victim, then 20, were on a Carnival cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada with their coworkers at CheerForce, a cheerleading and gymnastics instruction company for children ages four to 18, in June 2015.
A jury found that that the victim, who was severely intoxicated at the time, was physically unable to stop the sexual contact or had expressed her unwillingness to participate.
'I hope the fact that a jury of [the victim's] peers believed her provides some comfort,' Judge Dale Fischer said in a statement. 'I believe her, too.'
In addition to the jail time, De La Torriente, of Simi Valley, will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Anthony Paul De La Torriente, a 30-year-old former cheerleading coach, was sentenced to to six and a half years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting a woman on a cruise from California to Mexico in June 2015. The destination port in Ensenada is pictured in a file photo
Prosecutors said De La Torriente had volunteered to stay with the victim after she got overly drunk and had to go back to her cabin while the rest of their colleagues went to get food.
He double-locked the door from the inside and assaulted her as soon as they were alone.
When the colleagues returned, De La Torriente unlocked the door and the victim told them he had attacked her.
She alerted cruise ship staff and submitted to a rape kit, which detected De La Torriente's DNA.
Swabs taken from the inside and outside of his underwear matched the victim's DNA as well.
Authorities did not specify the defendant's relationship to the victim but hinted that they worked together.