Businessman Sentenced to 84 Years, Fined for Molesting Daughters

A Fountain Valley businessman was sentenced Friday to 84 years in prison and fined more than $20,000 for sexually molesting his three daughters for nearly a decade.

Edward Cho, 54, hung his head as his 20-year-old daughter addressed him, saying he was “possessed by Satan” and accusing him of driving her older sister--who was also a victim--to suicide last year.

“I want to let you know, Dad, that I am a person and not an object,” said the young woman, who often appeared on the verge of tears but spoke in a loud, clear voice. “It’s really hard for me to call you ‘Dad.’ I really want to deny it. . . . It makes me really sick to know you’re my dad.”

Cho was convicted May 5 of 25 counts of rape, molestation and assault involving his three daughters, including the 23-year-old, who died last year. The abuse began when the children were 10 to 14 years old, Deputy Dist. Atty. Kevin Haskins said.

The father was acquitted of two counts of sexual abuse involving his young son.

Before he was led from court Friday, Cho denied the charges and said it would be a sad miscarriage of justice if he were sent to prison.

“She’s imagining these things. . . . She wants to get back at me, to get her revenge,” Cho said of the daughter who spoke during the sentencing.

But the judge said he had no doubt the father was guilty.

“Your acts are despicable, your conduct is despicable,” Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard L. Weatherspoon said. “I do not see why you do not take responsibility for your actions.”

In addition to seeking justice through the criminal justice system, Cho’s children are seeking financial compensation. The two surviving daughters and his son have filed a civil lawsuit against Cho and his wife, alleging that she did nothing to protect them as children. They are seeking $13 million in damages.

Cho’s defense attorney asked the judge for a new trial, contending that Cho’s interpreter was incompetent. Weatherspoon denied that request, along with a request for a more lenient sentence.

The judge said Cho will not be eligible for parole until 2035, when he would be 95 years old.