The attorney for a man jailed since October on suspicion he committed serial sexual abuse 25 years ago is filing a motion seeking to throw out the charges.
Catherine Guzman, attorney for Enrique Mata Granados, 52, moved two efforts on behalf of her client: a motion to compel the prosecution to turn over evidence; and a notice of the “people’s non-opposition to defendant’s motion to pre-accusation delay.”
Granados, a Sierra Highway resident who spoke through an interpreter, is accused of engaging in several acts of “substantial sexual conduct,” against a child under the age of 14 between the years of 1996 and 2000, according to a criminal complaint filed Oct. 7.
Sgt. Joseph Mesa of the Special Victims Bureau said the report was filed with the department in 2023, regarding the allegations from decades prior, adding the arrest warrant was sought this week prior to Granados’ arrest.
The charges make the defendant eligible for anywhere from six to 16 years in state prison if convicted, according to law enforcement officials.
Guzman wrote in her motion that a 25-year delay in the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office bringing forth charges creates “substantial, concrete prejudice” against her client, and the burden is on prosecutors to explain the delay, which they haven’t.
The motion to compel is a followup to a request made in open court about six weeks prior, Guzman wrote, alleging the D.A. is potentially withholding exculpatory evidence.
The motion alleges there could be evidence one witness “may be pursuing an immigration benefit contingent on this prosecution,” and “the results of the 2000 investigation the District Attorney previously reviewed and declined to charge.”
Guzman’s motion asked the court to order the immediate disclosure of the evidence.
The D.A.’s complaint also makes the allegation that Granados took advantage of a position of trust in committing the crime and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.
The minute order from Department H at the San Fernando Courthouse on Tuesday noted that Judge Robert Sanchez DuFour continued the matter until Aug. 26 for a hearing on the defense’s motions.
Mata remained jailed Thursday in lieu of $350,000 bail.
