A Las Vegas court has imposed a prison term of ten to twenty‑five years on Sergio Reyes Rojas, a former youth soccer coach, after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14‑year‑old girl and kidnapping her.
The courtroom’s rejection of a mistaken‑age defense
During the hearing, the judge dismissed the defense’s claim that Rojas believed the victim was 19, noting that the girl did not appear adult in a photograph presented as evidence.
Prosecutors detailed how the coach offered the teenager a ride, she fell asleep, and awoke to find him assaulting her, a sequence that led to charges of lewdness with a child under 16 and second‑degree kidnapping.
Sentencing and guilty pleas
Rojas ultimately pleaded guilty to both counts, resulting in a four‑to‑ten‑year sentence for the lewdness charge and a six‑to‑fifteen‑year term for the kidnapping charge, the sentences to run consecutively.
The case also brought attention to the organization he once led. Las Vegas Diversity FC, the club he directed and coached, issued a statement clarifying that the allegations did not involve any current or former members of the team or the broader youth sports community.
Community response and next steps
Local officials and parents have expressed relief that the legal system has delivered a verdict, while the club said it will continue to cooperate with authorities to ensure the safety of its participants.