How Could You? Hall of Shame-Elisandro Mireles

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From San Antonio, Texas,  foster parent Elisandro Mireles,69, “accused of molesting some of the 25 children he and his wife fostered over the years was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison as part of a plea agreement.

Elisandro Mireles pleaded no contest in November as part of an agreement that capped his punishment at 30 years for the first-degree felony.

Mireles was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of sexual assault of a child — two were foster children and two lived outside his home — but admitted during sentencing Monday that there was a fifth victim, another foster child.

He asked Judge Philip Kazen for probation, citing his paralysis from the chest down and other medical conditions. Defense attorney Kristina Escalona told the judge that any prison term would be “tantamount to a life sentence” because of Mireles’ deteriorating health.

“He cannot handle what prison has to offer him,” she said. “He cannot handle that and live much longer.”

Moments later, Mireles told the judge he wasn’t sure he’d be able to abide by the terms of probation because “not being allowed to be where children are” would be very difficult.

According to court documents, the children he targeted were as young as 7 when the abuse began. For some it lasted several years. One girl told authorities Mireles would encourage her to take off her clothes and get in bed with a boy who was in foster care.

The children told police that Mireles asked them for secrecy by pointing out that if they said anything he would go to jail, according to court documents. He often bought them ice cream or McDonald’s or fruit cups after the assaults, they said.

The mother and father of two of the children testified in court Monday that they wanted Mireles sentenced to prison for his crimes. They said their daughters have nightmares about the assaults and have had to undergo counseling.

Disabled foster father sentenced for molestation[My San Antonio 1/27/14 Michelle Casady]

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