15 Years In Prison For Former Lay Pastor Who Sexually Assaulted Child

AURORA, IL — A former lay pastor at an Anglican church was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a girl younger than 13, officials said.

Mark Rivera, 50, was found to have sexually assaulted a girl, who he knew, between June 2018 and May 2019 while he served at the Anglican Church of North America, located in Big Rock, according to prosecutors at the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.

In December 2022, a jury found the former pastor, of the OS block of East Street in Winfield, guilty of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Patch reported.

RELATED: Lay Pastor Found Guilty Of Child Sex Offenses: Kane State's Attorney

Rivera's 15-year sentence comprises 12 years for the predatory criminal sexual assault of a child offense and three years for the aggravated criminal sexual abuse offense, which are to be served consecutively.

He must serve 85 percent of his 12-year sentence and is eligible for day-to-day credit for the three-year sentence, according to Illinois law. He receives credit for 1,134 days served in Kane County jail and on electronic home monitoring, officials said.

In addition to prison, the Winfield man is required by law to register for life as a sexual offender.

"My thanks to this victim, who had the courage to speak up and tell her mother about Mr. Rivera's abusive conduct and to face him in court," Assistant State's Attorney Matthew Rodgers said in a statement. "I'm grateful for her family’s patience and endurance during this long and difficult court process."