A Santa Ana boxing coach who was known for mentoring kids at risk of joining gangs was sentenced on Friday to two years in state prison after pleading guilty to charges that he sexually assaulted two 14-year-old boys in his home, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
Anthony Serrano, 45, of Santa Ana, had pleaded guilty to charges involving lewd acts on a child, prosecutors said. In addition to prison time, he will be required to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.
In an emotional sentencing hearing, one of Serrano’s victims testified that he was traumatized by the assault in 2006 and has had to attend therapy.
Serrano said he was lying, the victim’s mother said in court.
Prosecutors said Serrano assaulted two males who were 14 at the time, in his home multiple times between 2006 to 2012.
He met the boys when he worked as a coach at the Santa Ana Boxing Club, authorities said.
Residents were shocked when Serrano was arrested in July.
They said he was known in the area as a tough father figure and mentor, who ran the club for a decade as a way to keep kids out of gangs.