VINCENT John Gaza Sanchez, 26, will serve two years in prison after admitting that he punched his niece who is a minor.
Sanchez pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse and was sentenced by Superior Court Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan to five years’ imprisonment, all suspended except two years.
Sanchez will serve the two-year prison term without the possibility of parole or early release.
He was given 135 days of credit for time served and will be released on Dec. 6, 2022.
After serving his sentence, he will be placed on five-year probation.
Sanchez was also ordered to pay a fine of $500, perform 300 hours of community service, submit to a Community Guidance Center evaluation and comply with the recommended treatment.
Sanchez will have no direct or indirect contact with the minor victim, and the defendant’s sister, during the defendant’s probation.
At the change of plea hearing on April 22, Sanchez was represented by court-appointed attorney Brien Sers Nicholas while Assistant Attorney General Samantha Vickery appeared for the government.
The victim told police that on Dec. 7, 2020, her uncle “VJ” beat her and punched her three times.
The minor also told police that this was not the first time her uncle beat her for minor things.
She said her uncle was a “good boy, but he started smoking the white thing, and it made him stupid and cuckoo.”
