Crime & Safety

Jury Takes Moments to Convict Long Beach Rapist

It took less than an hour for a jury to find a 53-year-old Long Beach man guilty of sexual assaulting a woman he met at a local bar.

A 53-year-old Long Beach man was convicted today of sexually assaulting a woman after having drinks with her at a bar and taking her to his home.

Jurors deliberated less than an hour before finding Steven Michael DeSisto guilty of two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object when the victim was intoxicated, and one count each of unauthorized invasion of privacy and possession of a controlled substance, according to Deputy District Attorney Sherry Powell.

DeSisto had drinks with the victim on Aug. 7, 2013, at a local bar, then took her to his home. The woman passed out while at DeSisto’s residence and woke up to find him sexually assaulting her, according to the prosecutor.

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She fled from the home and notified police, who discovered an image of the woman being sexually assaulted on DeSisto’s cell phone and found cocaine in his home, according to authorities. He was arrested Jan. 15.

DeSisto, who is set to be sentenced Feb. 4, faces a maximum 11-year state prison term and registration as a sex offender for the rest of his life, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

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