SAN ANTONIO, TX — Jesse Farias Jr., the former lead singer of the Tejano band La Tropa F, was convicted of one count of indecency with a child by contact on Friday, July 21, 2023, after a week-long trial in San Antonio. He was acquitted of two other counts of the same charge. He faces up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced on Saturday, July 22, 2023.
Farias, 43, was accused of sexually assaulting a female relative who was 16 years old at the time of the incident. The girl testified that Farias touched her inappropriately at least three times since she was 15 years old, including offering her $20 to not discuss the encounter, trying to show her his genitals, rubbing her thigh in the car when he picked her up from school, asking her uncomfortable questions, and trying to take her clothes off.
The girl made an outcry on Feb. 27, 2021, at a family gathering at her friend’s South Side home. The friend also testified that she witnessed Farias touch the girl’s buttocks when she went up a ladder to retrieve a volleyball and that he made inappropriate comments to her as well.
The trial began on July 14, 2023, in the 379th District Court with Judge Ron Rangel presiding. A jury of seven women and five men was selected to hear the case. The prosecution presented evidence such as text messages between the girl and another girl about Farias’ behavior and DNA samples from the girl’s underwear.
Farias took the stand in his own defense on Friday, July 21, 2023, and denied the allegations. He claimed that he was drunk and mistook the girl for his wife and that he had no memory of touching her in 2019. He also said that he loved his niece and would never hurt her. He said that it was common to have sexual conversations among friends and family and that he was joking in his texts.
The jury began deliberating around 1 p.m. on Friday and returned with a verdict around 10 p.m. They found Farias guilty of one count of indecency with a child by contact and not guilty of the two other counts.
The verdict was met with mixed emotions from both sides. The girl and her mother cried and hugged each other after hearing the verdict, while Farias’ family and supporters expressed disbelief and anger. Farias’ attorney, Sylvia Cavazos, said that she respected the jury’s decision but disagreed with it and planned to appeal.
Farias’ conviction has also shocked the Tejano music community, as La Tropa F is a well-known and award-winning band that has been active since the 1960s. Farias joined the band as the lead singer in the early 2000s, following his father and uncles who founded the group as Los Hermanos Farias. The band has not performed any shows since Farias’ arrest.
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