A jury convicted defendant Castaneda-Prado of five counts of committing a lewd act on a child under 14 and allegations that the charges involved multiple victims and substantial sexual conduct. On appeal, Castaneda-Prado contends the court erred by excluding evidence that one of the children believed that, by accusing defendant of sexual molestation, she was helping her mother obtain a “U visa,” a type of visa that can provide legal status for victims of certain crimes who assist in the investigation of those crime (Ca. Ct. App. Aug. 30, 2023).
Case law, Child welfare, abuse and neglect, Criminal, Sexual Assault & Dynamics, U Visas, VAWA Confidentiality