WHEATON - DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced today that Judge George Bakalis has sentenced 29 year-old Juan C. Cortez (d.o.b. 10/17/1979) of Bensenville, to 25 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the sexual assault of a young girl in his care.  On June 18, 2009, Cortez entered a blind plea of guilty to one count of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child, a Class X Felony.

On August 5, 2008, Bensenville Police were dispatched to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in response to a report of a possible sexual assault on a young female.  An investigation into the matter conducted by the DuPage County Children’s Center and the Bensenville Police Department revealed that on three occasions, beginning nearly two years ago, Cortez had sexually assaulted his victim.  The following day, Cortez was taken into custody and charged.  He has remained in custody ever since.

“On three separate occasions, Mr. Cortez sexually assaulted his young victim,” commented Birkett.  “He did not care about her.  He did not care about the trust she had placed in him.  All he cared about was satisfying his own sick desires.  For the next twenty-five years Mr. Cortez can think about what he has done and the suffering he has caused to an innocent, young   girl.  I would like to thank the Bensenville Police Department as well as Assistant State’s Attorney Demetri Demopoulos and Children’s Center Investigator Robert Holguin for their work in getting this predator off the streets and behind bars where he belongs.”

Cortez will be required to serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

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