SAN FRANCISCO—District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced on Wednesday, March 24 that a jury found Antonio Montalvo, 36, guilty of felony sexual assault charges and one count of misdemeanor theft.
According to the authorities, in October 2019, a woman was sexually assaulted by a stranger outside of her apartment while she was “heavily intoxicated.” After the sexual assault, the authorities indicated the stranger stole the woman’s wallet.
The woman could not identify her attacker because he “used a piece of cardboard to hide himself,” the authorities explained.
After the attack, the DA’s Office indicated that the woman ran away to get help and found a neighbor who stayed with her until the authorities arrived.
“Surveillance video captured some of the assault and identified the suspect’s clothing, including a distinctive sweatshirt,” said the DA’s Office.
San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Sergeant Esther Gonzalez recognized the victim’s wallet when investigating a separate incident and “reported her observation to the sexual assault’s investigating officer, SFPD Sergeant Brian Kelly. As Sergeant Kelly was driving to go look at the wallet, he happened to observe Mr. Montalvo wearing the same distinctive sweatshirt from the surveillance video,” noted the news release.
The SFPD was able to successfully connect Montalvo to the “car in which the wallet had been located” and his DNA was found on the victim’s intimate area, the DA’s Office explained.
“My team did tremendous work prosecuting this case and bringing justice to this brave sexual assault survivor. Holding accountable those who take advantage of the vulnerable and commit sexual assaults is a critical part of public safety. I commend the courage of this survivor—who has asked not to be named—in facing her attacker,” said Boudin in the news release.
The DA’s Office indicated that the jury deliberated for three days and ultimately found Montalvo guilty of attempted sexual penetration by force, attempted sexual penetration of an intoxicated person, attempted sexual penetration of an unconscious person, assault with intent to commit a felony, sexual battery by restraint, and grand theft.
Assistant District Attorney Katy Wells of the District Attorney’s Office’s Child Abuse and Sexual Assault prosecuted the case and said in the news release that the woman “has displayed tremendous bravery in facing her attacker, and it was due to her perseverance and the jury’s thoughtful judgment that justice has been served.”
