Former Arizona state senator sentenced to 1 year for child sex abuse

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A former Democratic Arizona state senator has been sentenced to one year for sexually abusing a child.

Sen. Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete was sentenced on Friday after a jury delivered a split verdict in February in his child molestation case.

During sentencing, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ordered one year in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for his single count of child sex crime. He is also now required to register as a sex offender.

Earlier this year, a jury deemed Navarrete not guilty on one count of molestation of a child and sexual conduct with a minor but declared Navarrete guilty on a separate charge of sexual conduct with a minor.

A mistrial was declared in Oct. 2023, when jurors at the time were split on a decision about the allegations against Navarrete. The former Democratic politician was arrested in 2019 and indicted in 2021 on seven child sex crime charges.

Court documents at the time stated Navarrete sexually touched the victim multiple times over a few years. Navarrete reportedly apologized to the victim and regretted his actions in a phone call recorded by police.

In that call, he reportedly said he “wasn’t well” when the abuse happened. He resigned less than a week after his arrest, during which he released a statement saying he “adamantly denied all allegations” and would prove his innocence. Ever since, Navarrete denied the allegations.

During sentencing, his attorney announced they would file a notice of appeal to overturn his conviction.

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