Sacramento County man is sentenced to 775 years in prison for child molestation

A Sacramento County man was sentenced Friday to 775 years to life in prison for 41 counts of various child molestation and exploitation charges.

Michael John Leonard — whose history of inappropriate conduct with minors dates to the 1990s, prosecutors said — was convicted by a jury in March of molesting and exploiting at least 12 victims.

Leonard, 51, “lured” children into his home for nearly 16 years, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He met many of the victims at children’s events and venues.

The victims ranged in age from 8 to 13 years old.

“Leonard also communicated with minors for illegal purposes, spoke inappropriately to children about sex and attempted to conduct an inappropriate video filming of a child,” the District Attorney’s Office said.

Leonard was arrested when someone reported him to law enforcement in 2019, according to court records.

“Nearly a dozen victims provided victim-impact statements to the court or attended the sentencing,” the District Attorney’s Office said. “Many of the victims have been haunted by his actions.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2022 at 11:39 AM.