Gwinnett Man Pleads Guilty To Raping Stepdaughters

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- A Gwinnett County man faces prison, then deportation, after pleading guilty to raping his three stepdaughters.

Jose Dimitrio Sanchez, 42, pleaded guilty in Gwinnett County Superior Court to rape, four counts of aggravated child molestation, two counts of statutory rape, aggravated sexual battery and three counts of child molestation.

Sanchez was accused of sexually abusing his three stepdaughters, all of whom were minors.

Prosecutors say the crimes were discovered in April 2014, when the youngest victim's fifth-grade teacher confiscated a diary that documented her abuse.

When the teacher and school counselor talked with the girl, she told them that her two sisters were being sexually abused by their stepfather as well.

The girls told law enforcement that they had told their mother about the abuse, but that their mother didn't call police or get any other form of help for them.

The mother was charged with second-degree cruelty to children, prosecutors say.

Last week, after three witnesses testified, Sanchez decided on Wednesday to enter a guilty plea, the Gwinnett County District Attorneys office said in a news release.

That plea spared the three victims from having to testify.

Sanchez was sentenced to 45 years, with 35 years to serve in confinement. He will be deported after he has served his sentence, prosecutors said.