Kane County jury finds Elgin man guilty of child sex abuse

ELGIN — Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced that a jury found 38-year-old Sergio Varela of the 800 block of Morgan Street guilty of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, Class X felonies, and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony.

Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Stacy Wittman and Bob Dore stated in court that between 2014 and 2017, Varela sexually assaulted the victim who was younger than 13 years old.

Judge Elizabeth Flood set Varela’s next court appearance for Jan. 12 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 311 at the Kane County Judicial Center for motions and sentencing.

“I am grateful to this victim for her courage to face her abuser in court. My thanks to a second victim for testifying about her abuse with this defendant, as well,” said Wittman. “Thanks to ASA Dore, and the multidisciplinary team at the Kane County Child Advocacy Center—investigators Dave Smith and Sandra Navarrete, forensic interviewer Kasandra Osorio, and victim advocate Elizabeth Serediuk for their excellent work. My thanks also to the Elgin Police Department.”

Varela faces a sentence of between six and 74 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

In addition to the prison term, Varela must register for life as a sexual offender under the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act. Varela had been free on a $10,000 bond; however, Flood revoked the bond upon his conviction and ordered Varela be taken into custody at the Kane County jail.