Salinas resident, music teacher and founder of AlisalCAN, Joshua Alfaro, 44, was sentenced to 30 years in the California Department of Corrections on May 25, after pleading guilty to three felony charges of forcible lewd acts against three minors under the age of 14, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
All of the victims were family members—the youngest was under the age of 8. None of the victims were his students, according to a press release.
These charges were his first felony convictions and are three strikes under California's Three Strikes Law. He will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
“During the course of the investigation, the children bravely disclosed everything to which they were aware,” the press release said.
Salinas Police received a report on May 25, 2024 that Alfaro had been sexually abusing three children. Four days later he was charged with seven felony charges of child molestation that took place over a seven-year span.
A day after the charges were filed, Alisal Union School District officials suspended the district's contract with Alfaro’s non-profit organization, AlisalCAN, which taught different after-school programs in the district including music, color guard, cheer and mariachi programs.