Todd Thomas wasn’t too pleased when Fresno County Superior Court Judge Adolfo Corona gave his daughter’s abuser one no jail time in 2017.
Thomas had asked Corona to give a prison sentence to Hugo Rabson, then 43, who had asked for and received nude pictures of Thomas’ 14-year-old daughter. But Corona gave Rabson three years of probation instead, which annoyed Thomas at the time.
On Monday, Corona – who has since retired – was indicted by county prosecutors on charges of sexual exploitation and sexual penetration by fear or force. Prosecutors said the incident occurred on March 14. Corona retired in April. No other details in the case were immediately available.
“I’m not at all surprised that this judge is sympathetic to predators,” Thomas told The Times in an interview. “I think the county definitely owes my family a whole lot, but I don’t think we’ll ever see it.”
Corona faces at least eight years in prison and would have to register as a sex offender if convicted. He pleaded not guilty and his bail was set at $70,000. The case is being handled by a Tulare County judge.
Former Fresno County Superior Court Judge Adolfo Corona, shown in 2005, has been charged with sexual assault.
(Fresno Bee)
Corona was appointed to the bench in 2003 by the then government. Gray Davis.
Thomas’ daughter’s case made news when Thomas posed as his daughter in a series of messages with the sexual predator, set up a meeting with him in a Clovis park and caught him in a citizen’s arrest. Thomas posted his citizen’s arrest on Facebook and police arrested Rabson that day.
After Rabson pleaded no contest to the charge of engaging in lewd acts with a minor, Corona ordered him to register as a sex offender but declined to require Rabson to wear a GPS ankle monitor while serving his three-year probation.
“I wasn’t impressed. The fact that they were going to give this guy three years of probation. I thought they were soft. How do I tell the next dad to trust the system?” Thomas asked.
Rabson completed his probation in 2021 and is a registered sex offender.
After the closure of his daughter’s case, Thomas created a non-profit organization called Fathership. The group helps men dealing with issues such as anger management and domestic violence.
“The case made me create something to help my community of men in the world today,” Thomas said.