Ricardo Avalos Maffey, 44, was convicted of five felony charges of lewd conduct with a child and one felony count of contacting a minor with intent to molest.
Ricardo Avalos Maffey
Maffey, a pastor at the Apostolic Christian Church in San Clemente, faces up to six years in prison for kissing and touching the girl on several occasions and sending sexually provocative e-mails to her between May and August 2008 at his sentencing on April 15.
"I am very happy for the victim and her family," Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said after the decision by a jury of four women and eight men in Orange County Superior Court. It took the panel about 4½ hours to reach a verdict.
The pastor, who was a "quasi-father figure" to the girl, working closely with her in his office and spending time with her and her siblings at his home, became infatuated with her and was progressing toward a sexual relationship when her mother found out about it, Walker had told jurors.
"This case is about a violation of trust and a violation of the law," she said in her opening statement
Maffey, who works for the city of Santa Ana and had been out on bail since his arrest, was taken into custody after Judge Thomas N. Goethals listened to arguments from both sides as he weighed whether to release Maffey until sentencing.
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