A 29-year-old Palm Springs man has agreed to a stipulated 22-year state prison term after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting multiple underage girls across Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, prosecutors announced. Jesse James Garcia Airada admitted to ten listed felony counts: two counts of rape, three counts of contacting a minor to perpetrate a felony, and five additional single counts, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of raping a minor. Sentencing was scheduled for October 30, 2026.
According to MyNewsLA.com, the assaults occurred between January 2024 and November 2025, and investigators identified multiple underage female victims throughout Riverside County. Court documents identified the youths only by initials, including E.G., E.H., E.J., I.M., J.W., M.B., T.M. and V.K. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office negotiated the plea agreement, which dropped three dozen related charges in exchange for Airada’s guilty pleas on the ten listed felony counts.
Prosecutors said some of the girls were given marijuana and cocaine to gain their trust and cooperation, the outlet’s report notes. Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Gelinas said the suspect had contacted multiple underage females and offered illegal substances in exchange for sex, according to the same account. Authorities did not elaborate on how Airada initiated communication with the minors, nor did they disclose the specific locations where the assaults took place.
How the Investigation Began
The case traces back to May 2025, when Gelinas said deputies were alerted to an assault involving a girl in the eastern Coachella Valley. That initial report came in through the Thermal Sheriff’s Station, which operates out of a 77,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2012 and serves unincorporated communities including Thermal, Mecca and Oasis, as well as the contract cities of La Quinta and Coachella, per the County of Riverside…