LOS ANGELES : Man Pleads Not Guilty to Lewd Conduct With Girl
Augustin Ramirez, who left a Mexican village with his 14-year-old sister-in-law two months ago and was hunted down by her brother, pleaded not guilty Monday to six counts of lewd conduct with a minor.
The brother had told authorities that Ramirez, 24, kidnaped the girl and was holding her as a sex slave, but she discounted that story at a court hearing last month.
Ramirez’s attorney, Sheldon Sacks, said that “there was no kidnaping, there was no sex enslavement. The young girl went willingly.”
“In fact, she probably initiated the departure from Mexico and Mr. Ramirez is probably just a victim of circumstance,” Sacks said, adding that Ramirez and the girl “probably should both be sent back to Mexico” so Mexican authorities can handle the case.
But Deputy Dist. Atty. Diana Teran said Ramirez broke the law when he engaged in sexual relations with the girl on a daily basis between Feb. 14 and March 12. He will face a maximum six-year prison term if convicted.
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