A former Las Vegas youth soccer coach has been sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison after admitting to kidnapping and lewdness with a child.
Sergio Reyes Rojas, 45, was sentenced Wednesday by District Judge Danielle Pieper, who called the case “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
“Your behavior is concerning to this court because I agree with the state: what happened in this case is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Pieper said in court.
Reyes Rojas, the former director of the Las Vegas Diversity DC soccer club, was arrested on Dec. 10. He pleaded guilty in April to one count of lewdness with a child under 16 and one count of second-degree kidnapping.
In addition to the prison sentence, Pieper ordered Reyes Rojas to register as a sex offender.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Reyes Rojas offered a 14-year-old girl a ride while she was walking home in the early morning hours of Nov. 23. Police said he then sexually assaulted her.
Investigators said DNA evidence from a sexual assault kit connected Reyes Rojas to the case, according to a police report.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Allmon said the evidence against Reyes Rojas was “overwhelming” and argued that the defendant had already benefited from his plea deal because it reduced his potential prison exposure.
Reyes Rojas had previously faced charges of sexual assault with a child under 16 before pleading guilty to the lesser charges.
The sentence handed down by Pieper was the maximum possible, Allmon said.
“He’s out looking for young teenage girls who are vulnerable to pick up to sexually assault,” Allmon said. “He is every parent’s worst nightmare in this case.”
Prosecutors said Reyes Rojas was seen on video buying alcohol for the victim at a gas station. Allmon said the victim reported telling Reyes Rojas she was 14, while Reyes Rojas claimed she told him she was 19.
Defense attorney Michael Horvath told the judge his client accepted responsibility but maintained that Reyes Rojas did not know the girl’s age.
“Mr. Rojas took responsibility for all of this,” Horvath said. “He didn’t know her age but he understands what the law is.”
Horvath said Reyes Rojas had offered the girl a ride and said the victim specified what alcohol she wanted. He also said she did not get out of the car when she was left alone inside it.
Judge Pieper appeared skeptical of the defense argument.
“It’s odd that you would ask somebody their age when you’re going to give them a ride,” Pieper said.
The judge also said the victim did not look like a 19-year-old in a photo she reviewed.
Police said Reyes Rojas gave the victim $140, and prosecutors said $100 of that money was counterfeit.
“This was a troubled child the defendant found on the street in the middle of the night,” Allmon said.
The prosecutor also told the court that Reyes Rojas had allegedly tried to lure a 15-year-old girl at a bus stop in 2024 by offering her marijuana to get into his car. That earlier case was submitted to prosecutors, but they did not pursue it, Allmon said. He added that prosecutors may have had difficulty proving intent if that case stood alone.
The victim did not speak during the sentencing hearing.
Reyes Rojas cried as he addressed the court and said he was ashamed.
“I’m very ashamed of myself,” he said.
He also said he prays for the victim to recover and be successful.
After court, Horvath said Reyes Rojas is undocumented and is expected to be deported after he is released from prison.
