The Case of the Indecisive OC Rapist: Miguel Angel Rivera


Orange County's Miguel Angel Rivera first denied that he forcefully raped two women in April and November of 2009, but something provoked him to change his stance.

Superior Court Judge Jonathan S. Fish told Rivera that if he acknowledged his guilt, he would receive close to a 50 percent reduction from the maximum possible prison sentence.

In September 2011, Rivera took the pretrial deal, which included his written acceptance of the details of his sex crimes.

But after Fish ordered him sent to prison the rapist changed his mind again.
]

Rivera–who is 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds–filed an appeal challenging his convictions.

He argued that . . . well . . . he didn't argue anything except that he didn't like his situation.


On May 31, a three-justice panel at a California Court of Appeal based in Santa Ana scratched their collective heads and dismissed the appeal.

Upshot: Rivera, 26, will continue to serve his nine-year prison sentence at Wasco State Prison.

Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *