GREENFIELD — A Monterey County jury has convicted a 34-year-old Greenfield man of five counts of child molestation, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Filberto Santiago Martinez was found guilty March 2 of three counts of sexual intercourse with a child 10 or younger, one count of forcible lewd or lascivious act on a child under 14, and one count of lewd or lascivious act on a child under 14.
“All five offenses are serious and violent felonies and are considered strikes under California’s Three Strikes Law,” according to the DA’s Office in a March 5 press release.
Martinez is scheduled to be sentenced April 9 and could face up to 93 years to life in state prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The crimes came to light in June 2024, when the victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, and her mother reported to the Greenfield Police Department that Martinez, a family member, had molested Jane Doe between the ages of seven and nine, from 2017 to 2020.
According to the DA’s Office, Martinez would “touch Jane Doe’s intimate areas under the clothing multiple times a week” and forced her to “touch him under the clothing.” The abuse stopped when Martinez moved out of the home when she was 10.
The press release noted that “it is very common for victims to delay reporting the sexual abuse, especially when the victim is a minor and has a close relationship with the perpetrator.”
Jane Doe was supported by District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Advocates and Court Facility Support Dog Norma Jeane during her testimony, the release said.
