A Democrat-appointed California judge sat on the Fresno County Superior Court for more than two decades.
Federal prosecutors now say that while he still wore the robe, he led a judicial assistant into a courthouse stairwell and sexually assaulted her, then lied to the FBI and tried to doctor records to cover a second incident involving another court employee found passed out in his chambers.
Adolfo M. Corona was put on the Fresno County Superior Court in 2003 by Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. A judicial profile listed his political affiliation as Democrat. He stayed on the bench until May 1, 2024.
According to ABC30 Fresno, no plea deal has been offered. A trial confirmation hearing is expected in July 2027, with a jury trial tentatively scheduled for August.
According to the news outlet:
Adolfo Corona faces five felony counts, including three counts of making false statements and a count of altering documents. The most serious count is deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in bodily Injury and including a non-consensual sexual act.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Erica P. Grosjean set the tentative trial date for 11 months from now, on Aug. 10. The attorneys in the case estimated the trial could last a month, including the time it takes to select a jury.
[…]
Corcoran and prosecutor Cody Chapple told the judge they had spoken informally about a plea deal. Chapple said his offer was “dead on arrival.”
He told the judge that prosecutors had turned over about 8,600 pages of evidence to Corona’s attorney.
If convicted, Corona could be sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexual assault and 20 years each for the obstruction charges.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice announcement, a federal grand jury indicted Corona on five counts in August 2025.
Prosecutors allege that on March 14, 2024, while Corona was still serving as a judge,he lured a judicial assistant into a courthouse stairwell, where he sexually assaulted her.
The indictment also accuses Corona of making false statements to court administrators and FBI investigators while attempting to cover up the alleged assault.
Federal prosecutors further allege that Corona sexually assaulted another court employee in his chambers on December 5, 2023. The employee was reportedly found alone in the judge’s chambers after passing out following an approximately two-hour encounter.
Corona allegedly told the FBI that he had left the woman alone while he went to pick up a motorcycle. Prosecutors say he then attempted to persuade an employee at the motorcycle dealership to alter company records to make it appear that he had picked up the motorcycle at the time he claimed.
In February, a federal judge rejected Corona’s effort to dismiss the case, allowing the prosecution to move forward. GV Wire reported that Corona faces one federal civil-rights charge related to allegedly abusing his authority as a judge, three false-statement counts, and one count involving an attempt to alter documents.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.