A 36-year-old York Haven man is being held at York County Prison on $1 million bail after Newberry Township police say he sexually abused a juvenile victim over a span of roughly seven years. Gabriel Garcia-Figueroa was taken into custody in York and now faces 18 total charges, including rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, rape by forcible compulsion, aggravated indecent assault of a child, and corruption of minors.
According to ABC27, police received a report alleging that Garcia-Figueroa sexually abused the juvenile victim, and investigators say they recovered evidence consistent with that report. Per the report attributed to police, the abuse spanned approximately seven years. Detectives followed up with additional interviews as the investigation developed, the outlet's report notes.
Multi-Agency Investigation Led to Arrest
The Newberry Township Police Department announced the arrest and full slate of charges on September 2, confirming that in addition to rape of a child and statutory rape, Garcia-Figueroa was also charged with felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, sexual extortion, endangering the welfare of children, unlawful contact with a minor, and dissemination of explicit sexual materials to a minor. The department said Garcia-Figueroa's charges followed detective interviews and the execution of search warrants. He also faces five other misdemeanor counts, per the same ABC27 report.
The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force ultimately took Garcia-Figueroa into custody. Newberry Township police formally credited the York County Child Advocacy Center and York County Children, Youth and Families for assisting detectives and the task force throughout the child sexual abuse investigation, according to the department's announcement. Because the victim is a juvenile, official details regarding specific timelines and identity remain restricted by law enforcement to protect the minor, the department's post notes.
New Police Chief Oversees High-Profile Case
Newberry Township Chief of Police Farzad Sharif, who issued the department's announcement on the arrest, was appointed to lead the township's police department in June, according to FOX43. The station reported that Sharif previously served as a Pennsylvania State Police captain before taking the local post.
What Comes Next in Court
Garcia-Figueroa has a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 16, which will mark the first major procedural test in the case, requiring prosecutors to present sufficient evidence for the charges to be bound over for trial. Under Pennsylvania Crimes Code § 3121(c), a conviction for rape of a child under 13 is a first-degree felony carrying a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of up to 40 years, according to information published by the James Law firm. Separately, under state law § 3122.1, statutory sexual assault is graded as a first-degree felony carrying up to 20 years in prison when the accused is 11 or more years older than a minor under 16, per the Zeiger Firm, which notes that state law holds minors under 16 lack the legal capacity to consent to sexual acts.
A conviction on a Tier III sex offense in Pennsylvania also carries mandatory lifetime registration on the state police Megan's Law registry, along with a mandatory consecutive three-year probation term under state judiciary code § 9718.5, the same James Law materials indicate. All allegations against Garcia-Figueroa remain unproven in court until established beyond a reasonable doubt.
Part of a Pattern of Local Cases
The case adds to a string of recent child sexual abuse prosecutions moving through York County courts. Earlier this month, a York County court dismissed similar charges against a Monaghan Township man after ruling prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence for trial. In April, separate state court filings in York County revealed another prosecution involving a 45-year-old man charged with multi-year felony sexual assaults against a minor in York Township, in a case that included statutory rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse counts.
