A former St. Charles man faces a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting a child in his family.

Ramiro Fonseca, 43, of the 500 block of North Gay Street, Pharr, Texas, and formerly of the 400 block of North Union Street, St. Charles, was convicted today(Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014) by Circuit Judge Susan Clancy Boles, of two counts of criminal sexual assault, each a Class 1 felony, and criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that between July 2009 and February 2011, Fonseca committed multiple acts of sexual penetration with the victim, who was younger than 18 at the time. Fonseca and the victim are relatives. The crimes took place at Fonseca’s residence in St. Charles.

After Fonseca moved to Texas, the victim disclosed the crimes to a counselor, who reported the information to the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services as required by law.

Judge Boles set Fonseca’s next court appearance for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19, 2014, for motions and sentencing. Fonseca faces a sentence of between 11 and 37 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

In addition to the prison term, Fonseca must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.

Fonseca remains in the Kane County jail, where he had been held since he was extradited from Texas, in lieu of $500,000 bail. Bond was revoked after the conviction.

“This victim should be praised for the courage she showed in coming forward,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said. “Her willingness to disclose the abuse and to testify in court about the abuse helped us hold Mr. Fonseca accountable for his deliberate conduct.”

The case was prosecuted by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Lori Schmidt and Andrew Whitfield, who are assigned to the Kane County Child Advocacy Center. The advocacy center investigated the case.

SOURCE: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office press release