Manuel Luis Villarreal, 39, of Dinuba was convicted of multiple child sex crimes, forced oral copulation and witness intimidation charges and faces life in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 30, 2026. (Tulare County DA)
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A Tulare County jury has convicted a Dinuba man on multiple felony sex crime and witness intimidation charges stemming from offenses committed over nearly a decade in Dinuba and Tulare, prosecutors said.
Manuel Luis Villarreal, 39, was found guilty Monday in Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia of two felony counts of forced oral copulation, 10 felony counts of child molestation, two felony counts of dissuading a witness, two felony counts of attempted dissuading a witness, and one misdemeanor count of contempt of court.
According to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, the crimes occurred between August 2013 and March 2022 and involved the sexual assault of a child and an adult woman.
Prosecutors said Villarreal also attempted to bribe and intimidate the victims while in custody after his arrest in an effort to discourage them from testifying against him.
The sexual assault convictions qualify as strikes under California’s Three Strikes Law.
Villarreal is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 30, when he faces a possible life prison sentence.
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