Longtime family friend convicted of abusing 4 sisters over 22 years in California

A Stanislaus County jury found a 55-year-old Modesto, California, man guilty Wednesday of all 12 felony charges involving the sexual abuse of four sisters when they were minors over more than two decades, with a prosecutor saying the defendant now faces multiple life sentences.

Alberto Ramos Santana was convicted of charges including continuous sexual abuse of a child, sexual penetration of a child 10 or younger, forcible sexual penetration and lewd acts involving minors.

Jurors also found five sentencing enhancements involving multiple victims to be true.

The verdict followed a trial in which four women testified that Santana, a longtime family friend, repeatedly sexually abused them as children in homes in Hayward and Riverbank. The charges covered incidents dating from 1996 to 2018.

“Justice will come,” Deputy District Attorney Vita Palazuelos told The Modesto Bee outside the courtroom following the verdict. “It’s never too late to hold someone accountable.”

Palazuelos said Santana faces multiple life sentences.

What did the four women testify happened?

According to court documents and testimony during trial, Santana used his relationship with the girls’ family to gain regular access to the children, sometimes living with them and other times frequently visiting their homes.

One of the women testified that Santana began making unwanted advances toward her when she was approximately 4 years old, initially asking her for a kiss while they were in the kitchen of her family’s Hayward home.

As she grew older, the abuse escalated to repeated touching of her breasts and genitals, including digital penetration, according to prosecutors. She described incidents occurring in bedrooms and other parts of the family’s home, sometimes almost daily.

The woman estimated she experienced more than 100 instances of sexual contact during her childhood, according to the prosecution’s trial brief.

Another woman testified that Santana began sexually touching her when she was approximately 5 years old. She described repeated incidents in which he touched her breasts and genitals, including while she was watching television, using a computer and spending time with family.

She also recalled an incident in a swimming pool when Santana allegedly touched her while pretending to help her swim, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The abuse continued as she grew older, with the woman describing repeated incidents of digital penetration before she eventually became old enough to resist Santana’s advances, court documents state.

A third woman testified that Santana sexually abused her while she was in elementary school, including an incident in which he pulled her into a room, held her down and digitally penetrated her.

During closing arguments, Palazuelos recounted testimony that the girl tried to escape and wash herself in a bathroom, but Santana pulled her back into the room and continued the assault.

The woman also described unwanted touching that continued into her teenage years, including an incident after the family moved to Riverbank.

The youngest of the four women testified about several incidents that occurred when she was approximately 9 to 11 years old.

One involved Santana approaching her from behind while she was preparing breakfast in the family’s kitchen and touching her genitals underneath her clothing. She also described other incidents of unwanted touching in and around the family’s home.

The defense disputed whether the evidence concerning one charge established completed sexual penetration rather than an attempted offense. Jurors ultimately convicted Santana on that charge as well.

Prosecutors argued that the pattern of abuse reflected Santana’s recurring access to the children and his exploitation of the family’s trust.

Prosecutor focused on Santana’s statements to investigators

During closing arguments Wednesday, Palazuelos focused heavily on Santana’s recorded interview with law enforcement, in which he discussed allegations involving one of the girls.

According to the prosecutor, Santana claimed that the girl, who was approximately 9 years old at the time of some incidents, had initiated sexual contact with him.

Palazuelos also said Santana attempted to explain his behavior by claiming he had been intoxicated.

The prosecutor rejected those explanations, arguing that Santana was attempting to shift responsibility for his actions onto a child.

“The defendant’s statements blaming children for his own sexual violence is outrageous,” Palazuelos told The Bee after the verdict.

During her closing arguments, Palazuelos urged jurors to use their common sense when evaluating Santana’s explanations, arguing that the sexual conduct described by the women could not reasonably be explained as accidental touching or a consequence of intoxication.

She also questioned why the four women would publicly recount painful childhood experiences if the allegations were fabricated.

In her rebuttal, Palazuelos emphasized that the women were not receiving money for their testimony and had subjected themselves to difficult questioning about events from decades earlier.

She said one woman testified that she came forward because she wanted justice and closure.

Defense questioned decades-old allegations

Deputy Public Defender John Patrick Ryan argued that prosecutors had to prove each element of all 12 charges separately and beyond a reasonable doubt.

Ryan questioned the reliability of recollections dating back nearly 30 years, pointing to crowded households where relatives, friends and other people frequently stayed.

He urged jurors to consider the circumstances surrounding each allegation rather than treating the charges collectively.

Ryan also questioned whether the four women, who are sisters, had discussed the allegations with one another before testifying.

The defense disputed the prosecution’s interpretation of Santana’s recorded statements to investigators, suggesting that remarks prosecutors characterized as admissions could instead reflect frustration or exhaustion following a lengthy interrogation.

Ryan also argued that jurors should consider whether Santana’s reported intoxication affected his ability to form the specific intent required for certain charges.

He emphasized that Santana was presumed innocent unless prosecutors proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

The jury ultimately found Santana guilty on all 12 counts.

Ryan declined to comment following Wednesday’s hearing.

Jury convicts Santana on all charges

The jury began deliberating at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, according to court records, and notified the bailiff at 1:50 p.m. that it had reached a verdict.

The verdicts were read shortly after 2 p.m. in Department 4 of Stanislaus County Superior Court.

Santana, dressed in a white collared shirt and khakis, appeared in court as jurors returned guilty verdicts on every felony charge.

The trial began Oct. 12, with jury selection concluding the following day. Opening statements and testimony began Oct. 14.

All four women testified during the prosecution’s case, along with law enforcement officers involved in the investigation.

Both sides rested Oct. 15. Santana did not testify, and the defense did not call any witnesses, according to court records.

Following the verdict, Judge Carrie M. Stephens ordered Santana held without bail. His bail had previously been set at $3.225 million.

Prosecutor urges other survivors to come forward

Speaking in the Stanislaus County Superior Court hallway after the verdict, Palazuelos praised the four women for testifying and credited the Riverbank Police Department for its investigation.

She encouraged other survivors of sexual abuse to contact law enforcement, even if the alleged offenses occurred many years earlier.

Palazuelos said statutes of limitations governing sex crimes have changed over time and urged survivors not to assume their cases were too old to investigate.

She also emphasized the importance of parents speaking with children about sexual abuse, noting that perpetrators are often people their victims know and trust.

“Most of our sex offenses, they’re not strangers getting yanked at a Target parking lot,” Palazuelos said. “They’re family members, they’re friends. It’s the unfortunate reality.”

Palazuelos said she hoped the guilty verdict would provide the women with a measure of justice and closure after decades.

“I know they had to work through a lot in order to really be okay in a place to come and testify, because it’s not easy,” she said.

Santana is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17 at 1:30 p.m. before Stephens.

The court ordered the probation department to prepare a sentencing report, with attorneys required to submit sentencing briefs by Dec. 11.

Santana remains in custody without bail pending sentencing.

This story was originally published October 22, 2026 at 10:23 PM with the headline “Longtime family friend convicted of abusing 4 sisters over 22 years in California.”