Man sentenced to 775 years in prison for 41 counts of child molestation and exploitation of 12 victims

Sacramento, California: On Friday, April 1, 2011 the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office announced that 51-year-old Michael John Leonard had been sentenced to 775 years to life in prison.

The sentence, handed down by Judge Steve White, came after Leonard was found guilty on March 3, 2022 of 41 counts of various child molestation and exploitation charges involving 12 victims.

Leonard was arrested in 2019 and faced a possible sentence up to 880 years to life.

According to the District Attorney's Office, the crimes spanned nearly 16 years during which time Leonard "lured children into his home where he molested and exploited them."

He met a number of his victims at various children's events and venues that he frequented.

The release indicates that Leonard's criminal history involving "inappropriate conduct with minors" dates back to the late 1990s "including two prior convictions for felony misdemeanor annoy or molest of a child."

KOVR reveals that Leonard was additionally arrested twice in 2015.

Already a registered sex offender, Leonard was arrested in April and accused of trying to create a pornographic video involving a child and molesting a minor. He was held in the county jail on $500,000 bail.

In August he was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. KOVR indicates that law enforcement believed that there were other victims at this time and encouraged others to come forward.

The outcome of these charges is not known.