On Friday, August 22, 2025, the Los Angeles Times reported that a former Fresno County Superior Court judge, Adolfo Corona, is facing new charges related to two alleged sexual assaults and efforts to obstruct investigations into the incidents. The 66-year-old Corona, who retired in April 2024 after an 11-year tenure, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday, adding to existing charges stemming from a March 2024 assault.
Corona was initially indicted in September 2024 by a Fresno grand jury on charges of sexual battery and forced sexual penetration regarding an incident that occurred on March 14, 2024. According to federal prosecutors, he allegedly assaulted a court employee in a stairwell and subsequently lied to both the FBI and court officials about the event.
In addition to the March incident, the latest indictment includes allegations of a separate assault that took place in December 2023. Prosecutors state that during this incident, Corona was alone with another court employee in his chambers for two hours. The employee was later found unconscious in the chambers. The indictment claims that Corona misled investigators by asserting he had left the woman alone to retrieve a motorcycle from a dealership.
Further complicating the case, it is alleged that Corona attempted to persuade an employee at the motorcycle dealership to falsify records to corroborate his alibi regarding the time he was supposedly away from his chambers.
If found guilty on all charges, Corona faces a potential maximum sentence of 80 years in prison. His trial will take place in federal court, although a specific date has yet to be announced.
The case has drawn significant public attention, especially given Corona’s controversial history on the bench. In 2017, he faced backlash for sentencing a convicted sexual abuser to probation rather than jail time after the individual solicited explicit photos from a 14-year-old.
Source: Los Angeles Times
