Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks announces that a Reno man convicted of numerous counts of Lewdness with a Minor and Sexual Assault of a Child has been sentenced to 39 life sentences today in one of the largest child sexual abuse trials ever tried in Washoe County. Evidence presented during the December trial and at sentencing showed sexual abuse by the defendant against 4 child victims over a 25 year span.
Valentin Anthony Corrales was found guilty by a jury of 39 counts involving Lewdness with a Minor Under the Age of 14, Sexual Assault of a Child, and Sexual Assault, in December of 2016. At sentencing, the Honorable Elliott Sattler imposed 39 life sentences against Corrales, ordering that they all be served consecutively. He is not eligible for parole.
District Attorney Chris Hicks praised Judge Sattler’s decision stating, “These severe and just sentences not only validate the victims’ courage to come forward and disclose the atrocities forced upon them by this horrendous defendant but also guarantee he will be behind bars, with no hope of ever being free, for the rest of his existence.”
In late February of 2015, a 19 year old victim reported to police that she had been a victim of sexual abuse by Corrales for the last 13 years. An investigation followed revealing additional victims whose years of abuse went back to 1994. All victims reported the sexual abuse started when they were approximately 6-7 years of age and included various forms of assault in multiple locations on a frequent, if not daily, basis.
The investigations further revealed that Corrales had been convicted of two counts of Lewdness with a Minor Under the age of 14 in 1990 involving two minor victims. He was sentenced to three years in prison. In that case, he abused two young daughters of a single mother.
Within 6 months of his release from prison in 1992, he managed to place himself in a relationship with another single mother, who also had 2 young daughters. They were ultimately married and had several children. It was this relationship that spawned the instant charges involving multiple victims over many years. Throughout those years, Corrales employed threats, fear, and bribery to maintain their submission and silence.
At sentencing, emotional statements from two of the victims were presented that portrayed the traumatic impacts Corrales’ abuse had on their lives and expressed their gratitude to the jury, the court, and the authorities involved in the prosecution of the case, for ending their abuse. Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hicks characterized the victims as “victors” and argued that the maximum sentences will deliver a message that these acts will not be accepted in our community and that these victim’s cries for justice were heard. Judge Sattler agreed, describing Corrales’ abuses as “jaw-dropping” and nearly impossible to believe they occurred.
A multi-disciplinary team coordinated through the Washoe County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) investigated the case against Corrales. The team included authorities from the Reno Police Department Detectives Division, the Washoe County Child Abuse Response and Evaluation (CARES) team, Washoe County Social Services, and the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office. The CAC opened June 13, 2014 with a continued mission to safeguard the health and safety of children in our community who are victims of abuse through a neutral, child-centered environment. The CAC’s goal is to minimize trauma and provide advocacy for children and non-offending caregivers in support of effective investigations and prosecution.
