Man who abused three immigrant children for years headed to prison
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - A 50-year-old Riverside man who sexually abused an immigrant girl and threatened or physically harmed her two brothers, over whom he had guardianship, for years was bound for state prison today to serve a term of 52 years, eight months behind bars.
Mazen Aliwi Alawi was convicted by a Riverside jury in February of 10 counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, three counts each of child abuse and making criminal threats, and one count each of assault with a deadly weapon and witness intimidation.
During a hearing Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Sam Shouka imposed the required sentence under state law.
According to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, between 2016 and 2019, Alawi repeatedly abused the siblings at his residence on Matthews Street, as well as other locations in Los Angeles County.
Only young girl was sexually molested, while Alawi beat or threatened her brothers, all of whom were under 12 years old at the time, court papers stated.
"The defendant took away my childhood, my innocence and separated me from my mother,'' the girl told the court during the sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors said that, through an arrangement with the children's mother, whose identity was not disclosed, they were brought to the United States "after fleeing a war-torn country," which wasn't named.
"The victims' mother was left behind after Alawi promised to bring her to the U.S. but never did,'' the DA's Office said. "Beginning the day they arrived, the defendant repeatedly sexually abused the one victim ... while also physically abusing (her brothers).''
Court papers said he injured one of the boys with a knife in 2016. The defendant also punched, kicked and threw household items at all of the minors at different times.
The girl suffered re-occurring instances of the defendant touching her privates and rubbing against her to ``gratify his lust, passions and sexual desires,'' according to the criminal complaint.
One of the male victims said at the sentencing that the ``one thing I thank God for is that (Alawi) has given me an example of what not to be.''
Specific details regarding how the defendant arranged guardianship over the children were not provided, and it was unclear which of the children finally reported the abuse.
Alawi, who had no documented prior felony convictions, was arrested in May 2019.
