Anchorage judge sentences Ballesteros to 35 years for sexual abuse of a minor

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

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Peterson imposed the sentence Monday, according to the Alaska Department of Law. The composite term is 35 years with 15 years suspended. Jose Dominguez Ballesteros will serve 10 years of probation after release and must register as a sex offender for life.

A jury convicted Ballesteros in April on one count of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree and two counts of indecent exposure in the first degree. The department had said he faced a range of 5 to 99 years on the sexual abuse count and 2 to 99 years on each exposure count.

The case began with a 2021 disclosure by the family member. The department said the victim reported multiple forms of sexual abuse, including being watched while she showered, and that Ballesteros inflicted physical injury on the victim, other family members and pets.

Peterson found that the case took an emotional toll on the victim and the family "well beyond what the court typically sees," according to the release, and cited physical, verbal and sexual violence against the family. The judge found a long period of incarceration necessary to protect the public, while noting that nothing can restore what the victim lost. The release contains no statement from the defense.

Two other Alaska child sexual abuse cases drew similarly long sentences this summer. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Peter Ramgren sentenced DanelJohn Capid Santos, 29, to 30 years in July. Bethel Superior Court Judge Will Montgomery sentenced Matt Atcherian, 27, to 60 years.

Assistant District Attorney Rachel K. Gernat prosecuted the case with the Anchorage Police Department's Crimes Against Children's Unit. Alaska CARES and Standing Together Against Rape provided support to the victim and family. STAR, which runs a crisis line year-round, describes its mission as preventing sexual trauma and providing "crisis intervention, advocacy and support to victims/survivors, their families, and our communities."