City Attorney Mike Feuer announced that his office has successfully secured a conviction and jail sentence against a serial groper for targeting women jogging near the University of Southern California (USC) campus.
Javier Cardoza, 21, entered a plea of no contest to four counts of battery on school grounds. Judge Robert Longoria sentenced Cardoza to 36 months of probation, 30 days of Caltrans work and 150 days in county jail beginning July 20, 2015. Cardoza was also ordered to complete one year of sex offender counseling and to stay away from all victims in the case as well as the USC campus and all sororities and fraternities.
Between late February and late April 2015, Cardoza allegedly grabbed 12 different women’s buttocks while they were jogging around the USC Campus during the evening. By the time any of the victims were able to find help, Cardoza was able to leave the area. Cardoza was later identified after he matched a sketch created from a victim description. Additionally, Cardoza and his vehicle were identified on video near or after some of the attacks. Several of the female victims were also able to positively identify Cardoza from a photo lineup.
The case was successfully prosecuted by Deputy City Attorney Brad Rothenberg.
