A Santa Ana pastor has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting three young girls.

Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, was convicted of 14 counts related to the child sexual abuse cases that happened while he was the leader of Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer Church between 2012 and 2019. He became a pastor at another Santa Ana church after the assaults.

"Churches should be safe sanctuaries, not hunting grounds for child molesters," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. "These young girls were subjected to unimaginable abuse by someone in a position of trust. The sexual exploitation of children will never be acceptable, and predators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Valdez allegedly sexually assaulted three girls, between the ages of 4 and 10

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