Crime & Safety

Costa Mesa Man Convicted of Rape

Jaime Ramirez worked as the manager of a Fountain Valley dry cleaning business at the time of the rapes.

A 42-year-old man was convicted today of raping a friend in her Anaheim home and, months later, sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl who worked for him at a Fountain Valley dry cleaning business.

Jaime Zamora Ramirez of Costa Mesa was convicted of two counts of rape. A sentencing enhancement for a prior strike conviction for drunken driving-related vehicular manslaughter in 1992 was also found true, Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said.

Ramirez managed First Class Cleaners in Fountain Valley at the time of the rapes. Deputy Public Defender Celia Laureles unsuccessfully argued that her client had consensual sex with his friend and that his other accuser was a liar.

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Ramirez went drinking and dancing with friends, including the first victim, at Leonardo's in Fullerton before ending up at her Anaheim apartment complex in the early morning hours of Oct. 12, 2008, Walker said. Ramirez planned to crash on his friend's couch and at some point later orced her to have sex with him, the prosecutor said.

In the second rape, Ramirez had a co-worker drive the victim, who had just turned 17 and was in the country illegally, over to his condominium in Costa Mesa on July 11, 2009, Walker said. After he raped her there, the girl said she would go to police, prompting Ramirez to reply, "Go ahead, you're here illegally it's your word against mine, good luck with that,'' Walker told the jury.

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Ramirez faces 140 years to life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 17.

-- City News Service


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