Former Aptos deli manager sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting minors – Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ – A Watsonville man who admitted to sexually assaulting his teenage deli employees was sentenced this week to five years in prison and lifetime status as a sex offender.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office arrested Carlos Gomez Velasco in 2022 on charges related to three underage girls. As part of a settlement with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office, 10 of the charges against Velasco were dropped Monday in exchange for a no-contest guilty plea. The remaining charges included aggravated assault with intent to rape or sodomize a person under 18 and two counts of sexual assault.

Velasco will receive credit for 933 days of time already served and an additional 140 days for good behavior, which will shave nearly three years off his remaining sentence.

During Velasco's sentencing hearing, a victim and a victim's advocate read impact statements into the record, which were accompanied by a brief statement from Velasco, court records show.