Puerto Rican man sentenced in Fall River court for crimes against 5 related children

A 53-year-old man who raped or sexually molested five children under the age of 16 in New Bedford and Fairhaven was sentenced this week to state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn announced.

Andres Escribano Sanchez pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with two counts of rape of a child-use of force, two counts of rape of a child-aggravated by age difference, seven counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under the age of 14, three counts of attempted indecent assault and battery on a person under the age of 14, one count of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14 and one count of assault with intent to rape.

During a sentencing hearing before Judge Raffi Yessayan, Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith argued that due to the egregious and continuous nature of the sexual assaults on children he was supposed to be helping to care for, Sanchez should serve 25 to 30 years in prison and an additional five years of probation.   The defendant, however, requested a 10-year prison term.

Judge Yessayan eventually sentenced Sanchez to serve 15 to 20 years in state prison, to be followed by 10 years of probation.

There are five juvenile victims in this case, all of whom considered themselves related to the defendant in some way, by virtue of his relationship with the matriarch of the family. Sanchez was the boyfriend of the grandmother to four of the victims and mother to the eldest victim, who was just 16 at the time of disclosure. They all lived together with Sanchez in a three family home in New Bedford.  The sexual assaults occurred between April of 2017 and April of 2020.

At the time of his arrest, Sanchez was residing in Puerto Rico.

“The defendant raped and molested five young girls because he had access to them. The repeated rapes and sexual assaults of multiple young victims clearly demonstrates that the defendant is a predator and has a demented mind. He needs to be kept off the street and away from young children for the rest of his life,” District Attorney Quinn said.