El Dorado Hills resident Jitendra Berera, 57, has been ordered to spend six months confined to his home after entering a no‑contest plea to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 15‑year‑old girl he met online, according to court records. Prosecutors originally charged him with additional counts alleging lewd acts and oral copulation, but those counts were resolved through the plea deal. Investigators say the encounters followed online contact and that Berera paid the teen roughly $100. He has been out of custody since July 2025 while the case moved through plea negotiations.
Plea and sentence
According to The Mercury News, Berera pleaded no contest to a single count of unlawful sexual intercourse and received a six‑month house‑arrest sentence. The agreement, finalized on April 10, 2026, called for dismissal of the remaining felony counts in exchange for the plea, court records show. The outlet also notes that Berera had already been out of jail since July 2025 while attorneys worked out the deal.
What the law says
Under California law, sexual intercourse with anyone under 18 is illegal and can be charged as unlawful sexual intercourse, a crime that may be prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the age difference and other aggravating facts. Penal Code 261.5 sets out the elements of the offense and the range of potential penalties. Separate statutes cover lewd or lascivious acts and oral copulation involving minors. Within those frameworks, prosecutors and judges weigh case‑specific details, which often shape how plea deals are structured and what sentences look like in practice.
How investigators say they met
Court filings reviewed by The Mercury News state that Berera first contacted the girl through a website identified as "Sugar Daddy Meet" and paid her about $100 before they met in person. The documents say the girl told Berera she was a minor, a detail prosecutors say played into how the case was ultimately resolved. The more serious charges in the original complaint were dropped in exchange for his no‑contest plea to unlawful sexual intercourse.
Legal implications and next steps
By resolving the case with a plea to unlawful sexual intercourse, the court kept sentencing within the statute’s allowed range while giving the judge latitude on conditions such as home confinement, probation and restitution. The Judicial Council’s pattern jury instructions describe how age gaps and the nature of the conduct influence charging decisions and possible outcomes; see the Judicial Council for background. Any remaining conditions or follow‑up hearings will be detailed in the El Dorado County court docket for the case.
