Monterey County man sentenced for selling girl, 14, to rapist

Amy Larson
·2 min read
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(KRON) — A Monterey County man was sentenced to prison for selling a 14-year-old girl to a Salinas man for $12,000, prosecutors said.

Obdulio Aparicio, 38, of Castroville, was sentenced to serve five years in state prison and he must register as a sex offender for life, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

The 14-year-old victim is Aparicio’s family member, prosecutors said. Investigators said Aparicio negotiated a price for the girl with a Salinas man, Javier Saavedra.

Aparicio then sold the girl, “Jane Doe,” for $12,000, the DA’s Office stated. The girl was moved from her family’s Castroville home to Saavedra’s Salinas house on Iris Drive, investigators said. While living in his house in 2023, 20-year-old Saavedra raped the underage girl, prosecutors said.

School officials with the North Monterey County School District alerted the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office on April 28, 2023 about Aparicio and suspected child abuse.

Detectives launched an investigation.

“Patrol deputies were able to locate and arrest the suspect, Obdulio Aparicio. Detectives continued the investigation as additional allegations were developed indicating Obdulio Aparicio had sold (Jane Doe) to a man, identified as Javier Saavedra, in the City of Salinas,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote.

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After detectives found the girl in the Salinas home and interviewed Saavedra, he was arrested for a slew of child sex crimes. Saavedra was later convicted of rape and received a 270-day jail sentence.

Aparicio was convicted of human trafficking of a minor for commercial sex purposes, child abuse, and domestic violence. Last week, Monterey County Judge Andrew Liu sentenced Aparicio to a five-year prison sentence.

The District Attorney’s Office said if you, or someone you know, is being forced to engage in commercial sex work, call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

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