Samuel Quintero Sentenced by Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak to 15 Years for Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child and Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse
August 6, 2020
JOLIET, IL – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow has announced that Samuel Quintero, 35, of Joliet was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Circuit Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak on two counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child, a Class X felony, and five counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, a Class 2 felony. The sentence also includes lifetime sex offender registration.
Quintero’s conduct was reported in 2016 when the victim was 14. As a high school freshman, the girl began crying at school and told a friend about the abuse. The girl was seen by a counselor, and informed the counselor of the abuse. In the Victim Sensitive Interview conducted by the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center’s Multi-Disciplinary Team, the victim stated that the abuse spanned a number of years and began when she was approximately six years old. The abuse generally occurred when she spent weekends visiting her father, who was separated from the mother, in his Joliet home.
“A parent has an absolute duty to provide a child with unconditional love, and the breach of this most sacred obligation in the human condition is unforgiveable. This girl has been damaged and the abuse will continue to impact her throughout her entire life,” Glasgow said. “This vile predator heartlessly took advantage of his own daughter’s innocence for his demented gratification, terrorizing her for years. This evil and depraved abuser has received a prison sentence here on earth, and will serve an even greater sentence when he meets his maker. This young woman is to be commended for her courage in coming forward and standing up to the pedophile who continually abused her throughout her childhood.”
Quintero’s sentencing followed a bench trial that concluded on June 12, 2020. He will receive 1,323 days of credit for time served. Quintero had been eligible for a sentence of 15 to 127 years in prison.
In her victim impact statement to the Court, the daughter said:
“You were supposed to be the one to protect me from this, from men like you. That’s what messed my head all up. It was so confusing; do you love me or do you love my body? How could you love me, but still treat me like that? You made me feel like maybe I just wasn’t a good person, maybe this was something I deserved. You made me feel like I was unlovable. To this day I feel like, how could anyone love me if you couldn’t love me for anything more than my body. How do I deserve anything more from anyone else? Why wasn’t I enough? Why wasn’t I enough for you to stop? These are questions that I’ll have to carry with me for the rest of my life. You weren’t just some stranger, you were my father and I expected better.”
In 1995, Glasgow established the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center to offer a comprehensive approach to providing hope, healing, and justice for abused youngsters such as the victim in this case.
“Our family and trauma counselors are the best in the State, and will continue working tirelessly to help this young lady lead a productive and fulfilling life in the face of this penultimate breach of trust,” Glasgow said.
The CAC’s Multi-Disciplinary Team engages in a collaborative approach to taking the child’s statement, which protects the integrity of the information gathered and allows prosecutors and investigators to thoroughly assess possible criminal offenses that may have been committed. Further, advocates help the children and non-offending family members navigate the process, and trauma-focused therapists provide counseling to address the impact of the abuse.
Glasgow thanked the Multi-Disciplinary Team that handled the case, commending Assistant State’s Attorneys Jeff Brown and Ashley Kwasneski, Victim Witness Advocate Danette Pasdertz, Will County CAC Forensic Interviewer Jackie Lundquist, Will County CAC Trauma Therapists Cruz Ramirez Arzuaga and Denise Arroyo, State’s Attorney’s Office Assistant Katrice Sawyer, and Joliet Police Department Detective Shawn Filipiak for their dedication, perseverance, and outstanding work.
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