Eugene, OR: A recruiter for the United States Marine Corps has pleaded guilty to charges connected to the sexual abuse of a teenager from Eugene in 2019, as per court records.
Ralph Yajama has pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, according to court documents. Yajama has been given a 30-day jail sentence, with credit for time served, and will be placed on supervised probation for the next three years, as stated in court records.
Yajama faced serious charges in 2022, including rape and felony sex crimes. The victim, who was 15 years old at the time, bravely came forward to Department of Human Services officials, revealing her past relationship with Yajama, who was 34.
The victim stated that she had connected with Yajama through the Marine Corps Recruiting social media page and later encountered him at a recruiting event held at her high school in Eugene.
Later on, Yajama exchanged explicit videos and photos before the two eventually engaged in sexual acts at his Eugene apartment and then at a Springfield motel, as stated in court documents.
Yajama had been scheduled to accept a plea deal on three separate occasions since the case began, with the most recent being in March of this year. However, they ultimately decided to opt for a trial instead.