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Ex-foster father pleads guilty to sex charges

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Ex-foster father pleads guilty to sex charges

May 14, 2007

By TRACY JOHNSON

A former foster father accused of sexually abusing at least one of the girls in his care could now face several years in prison after reaching a plea agreement on two criminal charges.

Enrique Fabregas, 53, entered a modified guilty plea Monday to sexual exploitation and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

King County prosecutors will seek a four-year prison term and sexual-deviancy treatment when he is sentenced June 29.

The Redmond man admitted taking sexually explicit photos of his eldest foster daughter but claimed she had already turned 18.

The young woman told investigators, however, that Fabregas began behaving sexually toward her when she was a young teenager and was giving her cocaine and having sex with her by the time she was 17.

Prosecutors weren't able to charge him with child rape because they couldn't prove that the girl, who is now about 20, was 13 or younger when the abuse began, Deputy Prosecutor Roger Rogoff said. Rape of a younger teen can be charged until the victim's 21st birthday. If the victim was 14 or older, however, the statute of limitations is just three years.

Prosecutors said there also wasn't enough evidence to prove that the man sexually abused a younger girl in his home.

Prosecutor's spokesman Dan Donohoe said the plea holds Fabregas accountable and ensures that the victim doesn't have to endure a trial.

The victim and two other former foster children, including one Fabregas adopted, are suing the state in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed in Superior Court last month.

Their attorney, David Moody, contends that the state ignored more than two dozen warnings about Fabregas, which allowed the girls to endure more abuse and Fabregas to escape more serious charges.

P-I reporter Tracy Johnson can be reached at 206-467-5942 or tracyjohnson@seattlepi.com.

2007 May 14