A defense attorney convicted of rape will spend 13 years in prison.
Javier Armengau was convicted of nine sex crimes involving three women. On Tuesday before a judge imposed sentence, the disgraced defense attorney spoke for nearly an hour, telling the court he will never have remorse, calling this a case where the justice system failed.
She sat through weeks of testimony accusing Javier Armengau of being a sexual predator who targeted women at their most vulnerable. On Tuesday, for the first time, his fiancee Nicole Sill spoke out about the man she says she still believes in. "Having sat through this entire trial it has done nothing but strengthen my trust in this man, and my belief in the fact that he has always told me the truth," she said.
When it came time for him to address the court, Armengau spoke for nearly an hour, attempting to convince the judge of what a jury didn't buy: his innocence.
"A jury is like a GPS system,” Armengau said. “If you mistakenly put in the wrong information, it's going to take you in the wrong direction. If you intentionally put in the wrong information, it's going to take you in the wrong direction."
Armengau in court on Tuesday
He blasted the police, the prosecution, and challenged the testimony of every woman who accused him. "Every one of them at one point or another involving this case lied. every one of them did," he said.
He broke down when discussing his five children and the impact of his trial on them. "I'll always be their father, but I can no longer be their dad,” he said through tears. "There are five children who are devastated, for their father having committed no crime. Again, anyone can have their opinion, but everything I've said is true and no one, anytime, anyplace, can ever prove differently."
Judge David Fais said he didn't doubt Armengau was a dedicated father or a skilled attorney. But he said there was another side to him. "I wonder which Javier Armengau I'm looking at." Fais said. "I am convinced that the challenges that you have, the demons you may possess, your insatiable sexual appetite, those things have brought you to this courtroom."
Fais then sentenced Armengau to 13 of a possible 41 years in prison. He will also have to register as a Tier 3 sex offender.
Armengau says he plans to appeal.