SAN JOSE, Calif.—A nearly 17-year veteran of the Santa Clara County Department of Corrections was sentenced Monday to 12 years in state prison for several child sex crimes involving a niece.
Jose Zarate appeared Monday in Santa Clara County Superior Court for sentencing on charges including lewd and lascivious acts on a child by force, on a child under 14, violence, duress and fear.
Twenty-one-year-old Karinah Guzman says Zarate molested her for about four years, starting when she was about 9 years old.
Guzman says this has divided the family.
“The strained relationships, it wasn’t my fault,” she said. “It was all his fault.”
She says she’s speaking publicly in an effort to help others in similar situations.








![Honda, "Matthew's Day Off" [ WATCH THE VIDEO ]](http://cbssanfran.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/honda-matthews-day-off.jpg?w=126&h=95&crop=1)

![Paul McCartney [ ENTER TO WIN A PAUL McCARTNEY BOX SET FROM KCBS ]](http://cbssanfran.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/86040771.jpg?w=126&h=95&crop=1)



![Blazing-Hot Chef Competition 2012 [ MORE FOODIE CHAP HERE ]](http://cbssanfran.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/blazing-hot-chefscomp-103.jpg?w=126&h=95&crop=1)











2 Comments
This is just not good enough for me at all this is why the crime of Rape has to change to Manslaughter because once a child is raped she is never ever the same the person she was to become is dead and now she is a totally different person all the way around I know because I was there I was a loving child and turned into a person my entire family didn’t know completely different I was there but the person was completely changed. Because of that I lost many parts of my family lost so many things it can’t be counted.
So I am begging that the crime of Rape to change to Manslaughter the sooner the better.
August 24, 2010 at 7:13 am | | Report comment
This is very encouraging. Ther are many women going through this, and they need to see that there is still hope!
August 25, 2010 at 5:19 pm | | Report comment