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Fountain Valley Dry Cleaning Manager Convicted Of 2 Rapes

SANTA ANA (CBS) — The manager of a Fountain Valley dry cleaning business faces up to 140 years to life in prison after being convicted of raping a friend and a 17-year-old girl who worked for him.

Jaime Zamora Ramirez of Costa Mesa was convicted Wednesday of two counts of rape. Ramirez managed First Class Cleaners in Fountain Valley at the time of the rapes.

Prosecutors say Ramirez forced a friend to have sex with him after drinking and dancing with a group at Leonardo's in Fullerton on Oct. 12, 2008.

In the second rape, Ramirez had a co-worker drive the victim, who had just turned 17 and was in the country illegally to his condominium in Costa Mesa on July 11, 2009, Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said.

After raping the girl, she said she would go to police, prompting Ramirez to reply, "Go ahead, you're here illegally – it's your word against mine, good luck with that," Walker told the jury.

Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 17.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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