Former state Sen. Tony Navarrete nears closing of second trial on child molestation charges

Ray Stern, Arizona Republic
Updated ·2 min read
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Corrections & Clarifications: The statements made by Otoniel "Tony" Navarrete to a boy as police investigators listened in were described incorrectly in a previous version of the article.

A jury could soon decide the fate of a former Democratic lawmaker whose child molestation court case ended with a mistrial in November but was back in court this week for the start of his second trial.

Otoniel "Tony" Navarrete, 38, could be sentenced to as many as 19 years in prison if he's convicted.

The trial is expected to be short in length, with closing arguments possibly starting as soon as Thursday afternoon, said his lawyer, Adam Feldman.

In this Jan. 9, 2018, file photo, then-Rep. Tony Navarrete, D-Phoenix, waits with Arizona House members receiving mandatory sexual harassment and other ethics issues training on the House floor at the state Capitol in Phoenix. Currently a state senator, Navarrete has been arrested on suspicion of charges accusing him of sexual conduct with a minor, police said Aug. 6, 2021.

Navarrete had been a rising star in Arizona politics before his 2021 arrest, one of many Latinos who became more political after the state in 2010 enacted the controversial SB1070 anti-illegal immigration law. He served as deputy director for Promise Arizona, a liberal activist group that focuses on helping immigrants, and in 2016 won a seat in the state House of Representatives representing the West Valley. After serving one term, he ran successfully for the state Senate in 2018 and won reelection in 2020.

Phoenix police arrested him after receiving complaints of sexual misconduct at Navarrete's home going back to 2019. He later had one boy talk to him on the phone as investigators listened in. Navarrete acknowledged touching the boy, saying he regretted "any bad actions I did," court documents showed.

Another teenage boy alleged Navarrete had touched him sexually.

Navarrete resigned from office days after the arrest, following calls for him to step down by fellow lawmakers. A grand jury indicted him on seven felony counts including child molestation and sexual conduct with a minor. He pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations, rebuffing offers of a plea deal. But jurors could not agree on a verdict in the first trial, leading to a mistrial.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office presented the case to another grand jury this year, resulting in new indictments on four charges including sexual molestation, two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and one count of attempted child molestation. The office told The Arizona Republic said Navarrete could receive 10 to 19 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Feldman said he would make a statement about the trial after it's over but acknowledged the current case involved "less charges, less victims."

Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former state Sen. Tony Navarrete's second trial nearing end