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Gustavo A. Rendon, of the 100 block of East Main Street, New Holland, was cross examined by a licensed psychologist who determined he was a sexually violent predator, according to the release by the DA's office.
Pennsylvania state police were first made aware of the abuse after one of the victims initially reported it to a state senator’s staff, according to the district attorney's office.
Rendon had raped and sexually abusing five children in multiple locations in Lancaster and Berks between 2003 and 2010— children who testified and detailed the abuse during the three-day trial in Lancaster County Court in November, according to the release by the DA's office.
“They showed incredible bravery to stand up to this man, probably for the first time, who has abused them for years,” Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick, who prosecuted the case, said before the sentence.
The jury convicted him on 30 charges, including 21 felonies, court records show.
Rendon was sentenced by Lancaster County Judge Merrill M. Spahn on April 11, the release explains.
After imposing what effectively amounted to a life sentence, Spahn stated Rendon had failed his fundamental responsibility to at the very least do no harm. “I haven’t seen another failure in that aspect in my time as a judge,” Spahn said.
In addition to spending the rest of his life in custody Rendon must also pay $17,978 in restitution and is required to register as a lifetime sex offender, according to the release.
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