A jury on Thursday, Dec. 18 convicted Steven Michael DeSisto, a local Italian-deli owner, of sexually assaulting a woman last year, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s (LACDA) Office.
Deputy District Attorney Sherry Powell, who prosecuted the case, said the jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding DeSisto, the co-owner of Rocco’s Deli Italiano restaurants in Long Beach and Signal Hill, guilty of two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object when the victim was intoxicated, and one count each of possession of a controlled substance and unauthorized invasion of privacy, according to the LACDA.
DeSisto, 53, is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 4 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Long Beach, Department S20.
He faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
The prosecutor said that on Aug. 7, 2013 DeSisto had drinks with the female victim. The woman became highly intoxicated, and then the defendant took her to his Long Beach apartment, according to the LACDA.
While at DeSisto’s home, the woman passed out but woke up to the defendant sexually assaulting her, the prosecutor added.
The victim was able to flee the home, at which point she notified police about the assault.
During the investigation, authorities discovered an image of the victim during the sexual assault on DeSisto’s cellphone. Additionally, cocaine was found at the defendant’s home.
Several months after the attack, DeSisto was arrested and charged in connection with the crime.
The case was investigated by the Long Beach Police Department.
Source: LACDA, LBPD
