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Simi Valley Cheerleading Coach Gets 6 Years In Prison For Cruise Ship Sexual Assault

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A former Simi Valley cheerleading coach was sentenced Monday to 6 ½ years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a woman on a cruise ship back in 2015.

Anthony Paul De La Torriente, 30, was sentenced in Los Angeles federal court to 78 months in prison, the department of justice reports. He was found guilty back in February of one count each of sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact.

In the summer of 2015, De La Torriente was on a cruise ship from Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico, when he sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman in her cabin, federal prosecutors said.

According to court documents obtained by the Ventura County Star, the suspect and victim, who was 20 at the time, were coworkers with CheerForce, a Simi Valley-based cheerleading and gymnastics training center. They were on a cruise with other colleagues at the time.

She reported the assault to the cruise ship's security and medical staff, who collected swabs from the victim which matched De La Torriente's DNA.

The case was investigated by the FBI.

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