LOS ANGELES—On June 7, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office disclosed that former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Sean Essex, 53, was sentenced to 40 years in state prison by Judge George Gonzalez Lomeli, after he pled no contest to sexually abusing four girls who were between the ages of 4 and 13. One victim was abused in 2006, while three victims were abused between 2013 and 2022. Essex is required to register as a sex offender.
Essex pleaded no contest in court to three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14; and one count of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14. He further admitted to taking advantage of a position of trust in the commission of the crime and that one victim was especially vulnerable.
Prior to his arrest in April 2022, the defendant had been a sheriff’s deputy for 22 years. At the time of his arrest, he was assigned to the department’s Training Bureau. Essex is ordered to pay restitution to the victims in an amount that will be determined by the court.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau and prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Sex Crimes and Justice System Integrity divisions.
