Ex-Educator Guilty of Sex With Minor
A former high school assistant principal who fathered two children with a student at the school was convicted Thursday of unlawful sex with a minor, despite the girl’s testimony in his defense.
Defense lawyers had argued that Miguel Vivanco, 43, of Costa Mesa had engaged in sex with the girl only in Mexico, which would not violate California law.
But an Orange County Superior Court jury deliberated for just two hours before convicting Vivanco, who is married to another of his former students with whom he has three daughters.
Vivanco, who is free on his own recognizance pending a sentencing hearing July 9, when he faces up to three years and eight months in prison.
Prosecutors said during trial that Vivanco and a 17-year-old girl who attended Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove engaged in a sexual relationship that began in 1996.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
