An Oxnard man who served time in the late 1980s for child molestation was sentenced Monday to 480 years to life in prison after prosecutors say he spent nearly a decade after his release sexually assaulting two young children in his family.
A jury last month found Marcelino Arias Arca, 68, guilty of six felony counts of lewd acts upon a child. The jury also found true a special allegation that there were multiple victims, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.
Court records show that Arca admitted to other special allegations regarding a prior strike conviction for molestation, which contributed to his lengthy sentence. Prosecutors say Arca was convicted of child molestation in 1988, but did not provide details about that case.
“Decades ago, this defendant went to prison for sexually abusing a child. When given a second chance, he chose not to change — instead, he went on to sexually abuse two more children, this time within his own family,” Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Ben Moreno said in a statement. “This sentence reflects the severe and lasting harm he caused and sends a clear message that child sexual abuse will not be tolerated, especially by repeat offenders.”
Arca was arrested in 2022 after authorities say he abused two children under the age of 14 between 2005 and 2014. The abuse did not come to light until both victims reported it to a family member years later, prosecutors said.
“I applaud the two victims for their extraordinary courage in coming forward and facing their abuser,” Moreno said. “Because of their bravery, this defendant will never again have the opportunity to harm a child.”
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