Warning: Story contains distressing details
SASKATOON – Jeric Villareal Mendoza has been sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for grooming his daughter’s 14-year-old friend and filming himself taking her virginity.
Of concern is Mendoza’s high-risk to re-offend said Judge Doug Agnew.
“The accused’s lack of empathy for AB is a concern in terms of his re-offending,” said Judge Agnew in his Nov. 20 written decision. “He expressed no concern about the harm which he has inflicted on her or the consequences, both short- and long-term, which she might have to endure. It appears that these simply do not exist for him.”
Judge Agnew said Mendoza’s grooming behaviour towards the girl for a month and minimizing of his offences, is a concern.
According to court documents, Mendoza’s daughter had a birthday party at their home and the victim, who the judge calls AB, was invited. Mendoza found and photographed AB’s identification and, from AB’s notebook, her personal contact and emergency contact information. From that material, it would have been obvious that AB was 14, said Judge Agnew. At the time, Mendoza was 44.
Mendoza texted AB and concocted an elaborate scheme to conceal his identity from her, including setting up an email account under a different name and using Voice over Internet Protocol to text her without disclosing his phone number. He told her he was Chris, from Edmonton, and 30 years old. He persuaded her to take nude images of herself and email them to him and instructed her to delete everything so there would be no trace left. During the course of these interactions, AB told “Chris” that she was 14, and that she was a “cutter,” and showed him her scars, court heard.
Over the course of a month, he convinced her to have sexual intercourse with him. She was a virgin at the time, and Mendoza promised to pay her to allow him to have intercourse and to video it. In keeping with his desire to conceal his identity, he rented an Airbnb apartment in Saskatoon under a false name for Oct. 26, 2022.
Instead of giving her that address, he sent her to a variety of addresses via text message, including having her stop and wait at a street corner at one point - presumably so he could ensure that she was not being followed and had not told anyone where she was going.
Once at the apartment, still without having ever seen the accused, she was instructed to put on a set of goggles left there, which completely obstructed her vision. He gave her $1,500. AB’s understanding was that the money was specifically for allowing the accused to “take” her virginity and to record the act, which he did.
After this encounter, Mendoza continued to contact AB and scheduled another sexual encounter for December 2022. He was going to pay AB again, although an amount wasn’t decided. Mendoza brought up the possibility of them having a threesome. He tracked AB’s periods, specifically so that he could ejaculate inside her without a condom and in the hope of not making her pregnant. He continued to remind her to delete their messages, and demanded photos from her.
Mendoza rented another Airbnb apartment for this encounter. His plan was foiled only by a counsellor at AB’s school becoming aware of the situation and notifying AB’s mother, who then went to the police, according to court documents.
On Jan. 5, members of the Sask. ICE Unit raided a Saskatoon home and arrested Mendoza.
An analysis by investigators of his phone and camera found the texting history between him and AB, along with 110 unique photographs of AB constituting child pornography. There were also 43 unique child pornography videos, 42 of which were of AB. Twenty of the videos were of AB and the accused engaging in sexual acts at the Airbnb, and all show AB wearing the goggles.
In Mendoza’s statement to the court, he said that he regrets “everything that led us to this situation,” and said that he himself has lost everything as a result of the charges. He said his wife has forgiven him.
The judge noted, however, that he didn’t have any family members in the court room for his sentencing hearing.
Judge Agnew took several mitigating factors into consideration, including his guilty plea and his personal circumstances.
“Mr. Mendoza has, he says, the support of his spouse. He is self-employed and highly educated, having overcome a childhood of poverty.”
Court heard that Mendoza was born into poverty in the Philippines, and at an early age had to work to help support his family. Despite this, he did well in school, eventually going to university and earning an MBA. He came to Canada where, since 2014, he has been self-employed. He has two children with his wife. His wife works outside the home, while Mendoza prior to his arrest worked from home and looked after the children.
“There is no doubt but that his arrest and conviction had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on the lives of his wife and children,” said Judge Agnew. “His lengthy absence from their lives will no doubt have a significant effect on their emotional and financial futures.”
Mendoza has 2,719 days to serve in a federal penitentiary starting Nov. 20.
On the charge of sexual assault, Medoza was sentenced to 1,737 days, less 480 days remand credit. He was given 365 days concurrent on a charge of possession of child pornography, 549 days consecutive for making child pornography, 731 days consecutive for internet luring, and 182 days consecutive for sex with a child for consideration.
“Between his minimizing his offences, his lack of empathy for his victim, his obvious sexual interest in young girls in addition to AB and his own statement that, in effect, it is only his concern for his own family that will be the bar to him re-offending, the Court clearly must be concerned that the sentence imposed be sufficient to deter Mr. Mendoza,” said Judge Agnew.
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