Tony Navarette
Former Arizona State Senator Tony Navarette has been convicted of one count of sexual conduct with a minor, but not guilty on a second sexual conduct charge of molestation of a child.
Navarette was arrested in August of 2021 after two minor victims reported to police that he touched them inappropriately.
Navarette’s first trial ended in November with a mistrial on similar charges after the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict. However the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office refiled the case. In the second attempt the charges included four charges and one minor victim. Prosecutors did drop one of the charges, attempted molestation of a child, before the trial started.
Court records detail that a boy alleges that Navarrete began molesting him at age 12 or 13. The boy reported that when he was 14 and 15, Navarrete laid down with him while he was sleeping on at least five occasions, touching his penis and at times performing oral sex on him. In 2021, when the boy reported it to authorities, he was 16. He said he was fearful of Navarrete and now suffers from anxiety and anger issues.
Police were listening in when one of the victim’s called Navarrete. Court documents detail that Navarrete said on the call, “Of course, I regret any bad actions that I did, absolutely wishing everything could be different. I’m sorry, mijo.”
Navarrete served as a Democrat in Arizona’s 30th District. He resigned from office a few days after his August 2021 arrest by Phoenix police. He faces up to two years in prison on the Class 6 felony conviction, however there is a chance he could receive probation since he’s a first-time offender.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Kristin Culbertson has set Navarrete’s sentencing date for late April. Had he been found guilty on the molestation charge, a Class 2 felony, he would have faced a minimum of 13 years in prison.
