A 44-year-old Pacoima woman who was accused of forcing a 9-year-old boy to perform sex acts on a 6-year-old girl with threats of burning him with hot water pleaded guilty Tuesday to child abuse and endangerment charges and was immediately sentenced to six years behind bars.
Brandi Alma Valadez, who has been in custody since Oct. 5, 2016, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of child abuse and endangerment. As part of the plea deal, three counts of lewd acts on a minor and two counts of forcible lewd acts on a child, as well as two misdemeanor counts of child abuse and endangerment, were dismissed.
Valadez, 44, is expected to be released from custody soon, as she was credited for time served awaiting trial. A 10-year protective order is in place that prohibits Valadez from contacting the children, and she promised as part of the plea deal to never contact them again.
Valadez was living in multiple cities out of motels in Orange, Costa Mesa and Anaheim at the time of the crimes in the summer of 2014.
Valadez threatened to put the boy in a hot bath that would burn him if he did not perform sex acts on the girl, Senior Deputy District Attorney Whitney Bokosky said when charges were filed four years ago. The defendant also had sexual contact with another "special needs" boy, who was 13 years old at the time, she said.
Valadez was also accused under a legal theory of "aiding and abetting" of not stopping another boy from sexually assaulting the girl, who she, too, was charged with molesting, Bokosky said.
The relationship between Valadez and the children was not disclosed to protect the identities of the victims. Part of the reason for the plea deal was to spare them from having to go through a trial, according to court records.
