A former Mission Viejo church counselor was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Friday, August 23, for sexually assaulting four 8-year-old girls while under their supervision.

Nicolas David Cruz-Araujo, now 24, was found guilty earlier this year on half a dozen counts of lewd or lascivious acts with minors under the age of 14 in connection with four different victims, court records show.

The abuse occurred when Cruz-Araujo worked part-time at the Mission Viejo Christian Church Kids Club in 2018 and 2019. In July 2019, the mother of a Mission Viejo girl told authorities that Cruz sexually abused the child while driving home from a summer camp trip in Irvine, police said.

During an often emotional sentencing hearing early Friday in a Santa Ana courtroom, Cruz-Araujo apologized for his actions and asked the judge, his family and the families of his victims for a chance to “prove that I am more than my worst act…”

“I stand here before you aware of my actions and the pain I have caused,” Cruz-Araujo said. “My heart is heavy for the suffering I have caused. I am truly sorry.”

The mothers of two of the young victims described how their daughters had difficulty trusting others after being abused by Cruz-Araujo.

“I trusted you, I trusted you with the most important things,” one mother told Cruz-Araujo. “And you raped her.”

According to court records, jurors found that Cruz-Araujo inappropriately touched the young victims both over and under their clothing and caused some of them to touch him over his clothing. He was found not guilty on a charge related to similar allegations against a fifth girl, court records show.

Cruz-Araujo’s defense attorney unsuccessfully requested probation instead of prison time, arguing that he was in his late teens at the time of the crimes. The defense attorney — as well as Cruz-Araujo’s family — said that during his time in the county jail, he tried to help fellow inmates by holding Bible studies and baptizing several other inmates.