Justice was served on January 12, 2017 when a jury returned guilty verdicts in the case against Ronald David Guinto.
Guinto, a former sixth grade science and math teacher at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, was charged with 90 counts related to repeated and long term child molestation of 13 charged and 2 uncharged victims between 2002-2013.
The jury found the defendant guilty as charged on 87 counts and hung on 3 counts.
In 2002, Guinto enticed his first victim through an AOL chat room to sneak out of his house and with Guinto in order to molest the then 12 year old boy. The molestation occurred on multiple occasions, in both Santa Clara and Solano Counties. Defendant was convicted of twenty nine counts of child molestation and kidnap for acts committed with this victim.
Between 2008 and 2009, Ronald Guinto participated as a Cub Scout Pack Leader and Camp Counselor for summer camps and local Cub Scout troops in the greater San Jose area where he groomed and molested multiple victims.
Through Guinto’s contacts with the Boy Scouts, Guinto gained access to a church in San Jose where he kidnapped and took one of the charged victims and molest him and showed him pornography. Defendant was convicted of three counts related to the kidnap and molestation of this boy, also twelve. Defendant also molested multiple uncharged victims from his Cub Scout Pack in his home and on camping trips.
In 2009, Ronald Guinto created a camp he called, “Camp Epic” as a project in his Master’s Program at Tuoro University. In 2012, Guinto graduated from Tuoro University and began teaching at Making Waves Academy as a full time teacher. Ronald Guinto invited students at the school to join “Camp Epic,” and attend camping trips, adventure trips to amusement parks, and other overnight trips.
Ronald Guinto persuaded parents to allow these children to go with him alone overnight. At the trips, Guinto molested children in tents, showed them pornography, and encouraged sexualized conversations.
The camping trips spanned multiple counties across Northern California, including, El Dorado, Placer, Mariposa, Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, Napa, and Solano. Guinto committed dozens of acts of sexual assault inside the tents during these camping trips on multiple victims.
Ronald Guinto had victims spend the night at his home, molested them and showed them pornography during his brief employment at Making Waves Academy between 2012-2013.
Alison Chandler, the prosecutor on this case said, “The jury delivered verdicts of justice for all the victims in this case. The courage and perseverance of these survivors inspires me. I am proud of them.”
For further information please contact Deputy District Attorney Alison Chandler at 925-957-2253.
