A Nampa man was sentenced to at least fifteen years and up to life in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing children in his home for several years.
Arion Lee Diaz, 41, was sentenced on two felony counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor under 16, two felony counts of sexual abuse of a minor under 16, and one felony count of aiding and abetting lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor under 16, according to Canyon County spokesman Joe Decker.
Judge Christopher Nye sentenced Diaz to 15 years fixed, followed by life indeterminate, on the two lewd and lascivious charges; 15 years fixed, followed by 5 years indeterminate, on the two sexual abuse charges; and 15 years fixed, followed by 10 years indeterminate, on the aiding and abetting charge. The charges will run concurrently.
Nye also ordered Diaz to register as a sex offender, submit a DNA sample to the Idaho database, and have no contact with the victims or their families for the rest of his life.
Diaz was also ordered to pay a $5,000 civil penalty to each of the victims, along with court costs.
“Diaz was indicted by a grand jury in July of last year, following an investigation by the Nampa Police Department that revealed he had been sexually abusing numerous underage victims at his home in Nampa over a period of several years beginning in October 2010,” Decker stated. Police said Diaz used his position of trust with the six victims, ages 8 to 14, to groom and manipulate them into performing sexual acts on him and each other. Police said Diaz also forced some of the victims to watch pornography with him, and would both threaten and blackmail them in an effort to keep them from disclosing the abuse to law enforcement.
During the sentencing hearing Thursday, Judge Nye stated, “There is no court in the world that is equipped to right this wrong, and all I can do is sentence you as appropriate.”
“This is one of the worst cases of child sexual abuse that I’ve come across during my time as a prosecutor,” said Deputy Prosecutor Erica Kallin. “Mr. Diaz selfishly stole the innocence of these six young children for his own sexual desires, and they will have to live with those scars for the rest of their lives. Hopefully, knowing that the defendant is behind bars for at least the next fifteen years can give them some sense of safety and security as they begin the road to recovery.”
