How Could You? Hall of Shame-Robert Felix Gonzales UPDATED

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 Broomfield, Colorado,”Robert Felix Gonzales, 39, faces 15 counts for pimping the girl between 2011 and 2013, the District Attorney’s Office reported. The child was between the ages of 14 and 16 during that period.”

“Cash and methamphetamine were allegedly the preferred methods of payment accepted by a Broomfield man accused of pimping a foster child for nearly three years.”

“Gonzales allegedly advertised the girl on Craigslist, giving her drugs and alcohol and forcing her to have sex with people she did not know in motel rooms. He allegedly accepted the payments of cash or meth.

The District Attorney reports that Arvada and Denver police were involved in investigating the case, as well as an FBI task force. As a result of their work, Gonzales is charged with trafficking in children, pandering of a child, two counts of a pattern of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, soliciting for child prostitution, procurement of a child, keeping a place of child prostitution, pimping of a child, inducement of child prostitution, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, harboring a minor and four counts of committing a violent crime.

Court records show Gonzales was a defendant in past domestic violence, escape, and forcible entry cases.

Gonzales is being held in the Jefferson County Detention Center on $500,000 bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 5.”

“The affidavit for Gonzales’ arrest contains several dated sections that begin in June of 2012, when it says the victim was reported as a runaway by her grandmother. The grandmother told Arvada police that the teen had lived with Gonzales during 2011 and “had been approved by social services.”

The grandmother also later told police Gonzales was introduced to the girl by a “foster parent and school counselor.”

The document says they visited Gonzales’ home but did not find the girl that day. Two days later, the document says the grandmother called again and Gonzales again denied knowing where the teenager was.

On July 20, 2012, officers visited Gonzales again and also spoke with a woman whose identity is redacted from the document. Four days later, the woman called police to admit she hadn’t been truthful and that the teenager had actually been hidden in the basement behind a false wall, the affidavit says. She also allegedly provided photographs of Gonzales and the victim hugging and kissing.

When officers went to the home on July 25, 2012, the document says they found the girl in a basement crawl space but Gonzales denied any relationship with the teen.

During another meeting between officers and Gonzales, he again denied having a relationship with the girl but admitted to speaking with her and helping her with food and other needs.

Another incident involving Gonzales was also referenced in the affidavit. It was described as a felony menacing case on Jan. 1, 2013.

Gonzales reported that he had fled from another man who pointed a gun at him after Gonzales was called to an address in Westminster by an “ex-foster child.” While speaking with an officer, Gonzales’ phone rang several times and the officer eventually told him to answer the call.

According to the document, the officer heard the caller tell Gonzales “she had been shot and lost the baby. Gonzales asked ‘What baby’ to which [name redacted] stated, ‘It has your DNA all over it.'”

Gonzales pleaded guilty to harboring a minor on May 20, 2013. He was sentenced to three years of probation and one year of jail time, but the jail time was suspended.

 

— Alleged victim speaks with police —

The affidavit says the girl was first interviewed at Arvada Police Headquarters on Sept. 6, 2013, and the affidavit summarizes that meeting.

The teen allegedly told police her relationship with Gonzales developed in 2011. She said it became physical in October of that year and she also described several times and places where Gonzales allegedly got her alcohol or drugs.

She told officers she was in love with Gonzales and believed he felt the same way, the affidavit says. But the relationship changed, she said, when “Gonzales began staying in motels and drinking and then Gonzales was having other men join their sexual encounters.”

The document states the victim told officers Gonzales was going on Craigslist [to advertise] and she felt uncomfortable because of the pressure she felt. Later, she told officers that some of the postings included naked pictures of her.

She told the officers Gonzales liked using Motel 6’s but also used hotels called, “No Tell Motel,” “Triangle T,” and a “Howard Johnson.”

The victim “stated she and Gonzales had sex every time they went to a hotel,” the affidavit says.

She also answered questions about when she ran away, when Gonzales allegedly began using methamphetamine, the time she was found in the crawl space and sexual encounters with men in hotels. The document says the teenager described times Gonzales bartered for methamphetamine and cash.

In subsequent interview, the affidavit says the girl told officers Gonzales often used the drugs he obtained in the transactions. The “Johns” were often drug dealers, she told the interviewing officers.

The teenager reluctantly estimated there were at least 30 Johns, the affidavit states. She said that Gonzales assaulted her if she tried to refuse and that he participated in approximately one-quarter of the sex acts.

One day, the teenager told officers, she decided she “didn’t want to do it anymore.” Sober for several days, she jumped from Gonzales’ moving Mitsubishi in Denver on July 22, 2013.

She went on to describe feeling afraid and just wanted to get out of the car. Although the officers documented some descriptions the teenager provided about Gonzales’ violence, they also wrote that she did not answer when asked if he ever used threats to keep her from leaving or telling others.

Other interviews followed and during one, a detective noted the teenager had a new tattoo of a Chinese symbol. The affidavit indicates she told the detective it meant “eternity.”

A second detective realized Gonzales had an identical tattoo, the affidavit states.”

Foster child allegedly pimped through Craigslist for cash, meth by Robert Felix Gonzales[ABC 7 11/7/13 By Phil Tenser]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

 

Update: “A Jefferson County jury this week found a Broomfield man guilty of prostituting a 14-year-old girl over a period of two years.

The verdict was returned on Oct. 22.

Robert Felix Gonzales, 40, was found guilty of 17 counts including pimping of a child, kidnapping, procurement of a child, and soliciting for child prostitution.

Gonzales met the girl in 2011 through a foster home placement and began having sex with her, grooming her to believe that she was in love with him.

Continuing into 2012 and 2013, Gonzales provided her with methamphetamine and alcohol and forced her to have sex for money or drugs with men she did not know.

He arranged for the motel rooms in which she would have sex with strangers. Sometimes he would join, the victim said. The money and drugs from the Johns went to Gonzales.

The jury heard that the teen had a history of running away from her grandmother’s house or other foster placements.  When Gonzales was prohibited from seeing the teen by her guardians, he took active steps to hide her from her family and police. At times, he hid her in a crawl space at his house, prosecutors said.

Following a 7-day trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts on the following 17 counts, including 13 felonies:

• pandering of a child
• second-degree kidnapping
• soliciting for child prostitution
• procurement of a child
• pimping of a child
• keeping a place of child prostitution
• inducement of child prostitution
• patronizing a prostituted child
• 5 counts of sexual exploitation of a child
• contributing to the delinquency of a minor
• possession of a controlled substance
• violation of a protective order
• harboring a minor

“We are extremely pleased with the verdict,” said District Attorney Pete Weir, “Sexually exploiting a young girl is unconscionable. These cases can be very difficult, but we were able to bring justice for this young victim and stop this criminal behavior.”

The investigation was conducted by the Arvada Police Department, the FBI Rocky Mountain Innocence Loss Task Force and the Denver Police Department.

Sentencing has been set for January 7 at 8:00. Gonzales remains in custody on a $500,000 cash bond.”

Broomfield man found guilty of pimping girl in foster care system[THE Denver Channel 10/24/14 by Scripps Media]

Update 2:“A man convicted of pimping his then 14-year-old foster child was sentenced Wednesday to 112 years in prison.

Family members of the now 17-year-old victim told the judge the teen was a “broken little girl” when Robert Gonzales, 41, came into her life.

Gonzales met the teen in 2011 through a foster home placement and began having sex with her, grooming her to believe that she was in love with him, according to a release from the district attorney’s office.

Gonzales provided her with methamphetamine and alcohol and forced her to have sex for money or drugs with men she did not know. He arranged for the motel rooms in which she would have sex with strangers. The money and drugs went to Gonzales.

Prosecutor Katie Kurtz said that Gonzales didn’t treat the young woman as a human being, but as his property. She described that he had punched her, kicked her, burned her with cigarettes, and used her to create child pornography. He also caused her to be addicted to methamphetamine.”

Man sentenced for pimping foster child[9 News 1/7/15 by Robert Garrison]