Man molests 12-year-old and tells her ‘age is just a number,’ CA officials say
A man accused of molesting a 12-year-old girl and telling her “age is just a number” has been convicted, California prosecutors say.
A jury found Fabian Manzo, 25, guilty of “eight felony counts of child molestation,” the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a July 17 news release.
An attorney for Manzo did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on July 18.
“The victim in this case showed extraordinary strength in coming forward and sharing what she endured,” Deputy District Attorney Julia McAndrew said in the release. “My hope is that this verdict brings her a sense of closure and the reassurance that she was heard, believed, and supported.”
In fall 2019, 19-year-old Manzo rented a room in an Oxnard home, where a 12-year-old girl lived with her family, prosecutors said.
During the two months he lived at the home, prosecutors said, Manzo “engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship with the” girl.
Manzo’s “grooming” started with tickling and roughhousing, prosecutors said, adding that his “grooming tactics” eventually led to “led to kissing, touching, and other sexual acts.”
When the girl asked if Manzo was aware of her age, “he told her ‘age is just a number,’” prosecutors said.
Manzo was charged in May 2023, court records show.
A “jury found Manzo guilty of five counts of lewd acts upon a child, one count of penetration with a child under 14 years, one count of attempted forcible lewd act upon a child, and one count of forcible lewd act upon a child,” prosecutors said.
The jury also found several special allegations and aggravating factors to be true, “including that Manzo committed substantial sexual conduct, took advantage of a position of trust, and that the victim was vulnerable,” according to prosecutors.
Manzo is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing Sept. 18 and faces up to 39 years and four months in prison, prosecutors said.
Oxnard is about a 60-mile drive northwest from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Man molests 12-year-old and tells her ‘age is just a number,’ CA officials say."
