Former Pacifica High volunteer coach sentenced to prison for sex crimes with student
A teenage student said during a courtroom hearing Friday a volunteer coach who took sexual advantage of her at Oxnard's Pacifica High School pushed her into depression, anxiety and fear.
“I’m scared of any man in a position of authority,” she said, sitting next to her mother in Ventura County Superior Court at the sentencing for Aaron James Mora, the former coach. She read aloud a victim impact statement that described severe anxiety, lost confidence, night tremors and transferring to another school.
“God has taught me to forgive, but I will never forget,” she said.
Mora, 25, of Oxnard, pleaded guilty in October to sending sexual images of himself to the underage student.
He was sentenced to two years in state prison. At the sentencing hearing, a prosecutor said the felony conviction means Mora will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Judge Marine Dermadzhyan also put in place a 10-year protective order prohibiting contact with the victim and ordered he pay a restitution fine of $10,000.
Mora was a volunteer coach for the track and football teams at Pacifica High. In 2022, he began texting messages to the student, who was on the track team, then sent sexual pictures, prosecutors said. He also received images from the student, they said. He admitted to special allegations — which carry harsher penalties — that the victim was vulnerable and he took advantage of a position of trust.
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He declined to make a statement in the courtroom. After sentencing, he was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody. He remained housed at the county's main jail on Saturday, jail records show. He will be transported to Wasco State Prison.
Mora had also been charged with possession of child pornography and oral copulation of a minor under 18. Those charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. Prosecutors said they pursued the felony count of sending harmful material because it includes a lifetime designation as a sex offender.
“I don’t want that guy to ever coach again,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Edward Andrews, adding that he expects Mora will be listed on the public Megan's Law website. Not all people required to register as sex offenders are posted on the Megan's Law list, which is administered by the California Department of Justice.
In May, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against the Oxnard Union High School District, alleging not enough was done to protect her from Mora.
Impact statements read in court Friday described social media shaming and recounted a panic attack. The student’s mother said the girl was a star athlete, a good student and a peacemaker. She became timid and distrustful. She dressed in black, wore hoodies and adorned large headphones as if she was trying to tune out the world.
She is going through counseling and has plans to go to college. But the impact, the student said in the courtroom, will remain.
“This will continue to follow me for the rest of my life,” she said.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Former Pacifica High coach gets prison for sex crimes with student
