Yorkville man sentenced to 20 years in prison for predatory sexual assault of child

A Yorkville has been sentenced to 20 years in prison man for predatory sexual assault of a child following a plea agreement.

Rafael Sanchez, 53, entered a plea of guilty to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in Kendall County and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Sanchez entered the same plea agreement in Kane County, receiving a 10 year sentence in that agreement as well.

The assaults allegedly occurred in both unincorporated Kendall County and Aurora, according to a news release from the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office. The victim was under the age of 13 during most of the time the sexual assaults were committed, the release said.

A joint investigation by the Aurora Police Department and the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office began in 2022, according to the release. The sexual assaults allegedly began in the late 1990s and continued into 2007.

Charges were filed in both Kendall and Kane counties in 2023 and Sanchez was taken into custody. He remained in custody of Kendall County since he was arrested by law enforcement.

Both sentences will be served consecutive to each other for a total of 20 years in prison. The plea agreements will require Sanchez to serve 85% of his 20-year total sentence before being eligible for mandatory supervised release, according to Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis.

In the release, Weis thanked the Aurora Police Department, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office and the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office for their collaborative efforts. He also praised the courage of the victim in these cases to bring a long-time child predatory to justice.

The case was prosecuted by Weis and Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Cusack. Sanchez was represented by the Public Defender’s Office.