Salinas man gets 257-year prison sentence on child molestation conviction

A Salinas man convicted of 19 counts of child molestation was sentenced to 257 years in prison, according to an announcement Wednesday from the office of Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.

Judge Stephanie Hulsey sentenced 44-year-old Salinas resident Luis Ceja Nunez after he was found guilty in October of molesting two children. Now adults, the victims came forward in 2019 and testified that Nunez had molested them for several years beginning more than two decades ago.

According to the district attorney’s news release, both victims said they waited many years to report the crimes, because they were embarrassed about what happened to them and they loved Nunez, a family member.