An Anchorage man will serve 20 years for abusing a 4-year-old relative

A 43-year-old Anchorage man will serve 20 years in prison for sexually abusing a family member who was 4 when the abuse began.

Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced Jose Dominguez Ballesteros on Monday to 35 years with 15 suspended. He will serve 10 years of probation after release and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

A jury convicted him in April of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of first-degree indecent exposure. It could not reach a verdict on two other counts.

The case started with the family member's disclosure in 2021. Prosecutors said she reported several forms of abuse, including being watched while she showered, and that Ballesteros injured her, other family members and the household's pets.

Peterson found the case took an emotional toll on the victim and her family well beyond what the court typically sees, and that Ballesteros had used physical, verbal and sexual violence against them. He said a long period of incarceration was necessary to protect the public, while noting that nothing can restore what the victim lost.

Assistant District Attorney Rachel K. Gernat prosecuted the case with the Anchorage Police Department's Crimes Against Children Unit. Alaska CARES and Standing Together Against Rape supported the family.