18 years for Palatine man who admitted sexually abusing two girls

Saying the sexual assault case against Francisco Villa is among the most unsettling he has ever encountered, Cook County Judge Hyman Riebman sentenced the Palatine man to 18 years in prison after Villa pleaded guilty Monday to abusing two girls and videotaping one of them.

Villa, 55, kept his head lowered throughout the hearing during which he pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl between June 2009 and May 2010. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated child pornography, admitting that he videotaped the assault and downloaded the images onto a computer. Riebman sentenced him to 18 years in prison in exchange for his guilty plea to the class X felony, which carries a sentence of six to 30 years in prison.

Villa also pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of another child who was between the ages of 7 and 8 years old at the time of the abuse, which also took place between June 2009 and May 2010.

Police retrieved images from computers belonging to Villa and from a storage locker, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney John Carroll.

“These facts are some of the most horrifying and despicable facts I've ever heard in practicing law or as a judge,” said Riebman, who ordered that Villa register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

Villa received credit for the 447 days he has spent in custody since his arrest. He must complete at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.