By MOTECUZOMA SANCHEZ
STOCKTON- In a bombshell allegation, a relative is alleging that City Councilmember Brando Villapudua continuously molested her as a young child over the course of two years from kindergarten to before she started second grade. She also claims that his older brother (and also her relative) Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua helped cover up the crime by interjecting himself in the investigation while he was an elected official and San Joaquin County Supervisor.
In an interview, the woman who wishes to remain unnamed for fear of retaliation, stated that Carlos and several other members of his family including the alleged perpetrator Brando, surrounded her in an intervention like setting when she was a child and attempted to coerce her into blaming her own step father who was innocent, before she reported the alleged sexual assaults to law enforcement.
Our investigation began after receiving this email:
”Hello,
I’m sending this email because I believe the people of Stockton should know that the Villapudua family is a family who supports child pedophiles. Brando Villapudua sexually molested me when I was a child. Unfortunately, due to statue of limitations, I was unable to get justice. I did however, report of the crime to the police in Lodi California, and there was an investigation. When the Lodi detectives contacted Brando, he had his brother, Carlos Villapudua, speak on his behalf and Brando denied the request to take a lie detector test. The detective took the statement at Carlos’ Mexican restaurant that he once had. I have the police report and will gladly share it with you. I don’t understand how someone like Brando, who didn’t even get his high school diploma, convicted of multiple felonies including theft (which was his nephew’s grandmother on nephew mother side), DUI’s and who knows what else was swept under the rug like my case. I firmly believe that he shouldn’t hold the position that he currently does now nor should he be around any children. On his biography from stocktonca.gov says “to have a safe environment for raising a family” he should not be part of that because I believe he is a danger to society but especially children. He was on a committee to reduce crime yet he’s committed multiple crimes himself and continues to do so. He is a wolf in sheep clothing, as well as his brother Carlos, whom I am sure you know, has had his fair share in legal situations and family history that was kept under the rug. The Villapudua family has many secrets such as mine and if you speak out, you’re shunned and told to keep it in the family, getting away from that family was the best thing I could’ve done. How can someone who takes advantage of an innocent child become a council member in Stockton. The Villapudua family is corrupt and deceitful. And I can confidently say this, as I myself am a blood relative.
Thank you”
We have obtained a copy of that police report and confirmed that Brando was in fact listed as a suspect by Lodi police after the girl came forward as a teenager to report it to her mother. The police report also details how Carlos told police the allegations were just “rumors” the mother started to hurt him politically as he was running for re-election. The claim by Carlos was nonsensical because the mother is not the one who was making the allegations and Carlos was never mentioned in the complaint, only his younger brother Brando.
The investigation was referred to the District Attorney at the time James Willet, and closed according to the alleged victim for “lack of evidence”, because the “evidence was washed away.” In the report Brando denies ever living at the location, however he was arrested and convicted of felony charges of a nearby location in Lodi during the same time period that the alleged sexual assaults occurred. Brando was convicted of conspiring and invading the home of a disabled elderly woman whom the relative he was allegedly abusing says was the mother in law of his deceased brother Bernie. Brando received an 8 year prison sentence for that crime, but only had to do hours of community service after allegedly snitching on the accomplice that he himself recruited to aid him in the crime while he was inside the home distracting the elderly woman. His accomplice did go to prison. Brando never did.
The police report provided to 209 Times can be read here with the victim’s identity and relationship to Brando and Carlos redacted out. We reached out to both Brando and Carlos to provide a statement and respond to the allegations. Both have refused to respond. Brando currently serves on Stockton’s City Council and is on the Crime Reduction Committee. Carlos is currently a State Assemblymember who is running for State Senate against former Congressman Jerry McNerney. And Carlos’ wife Edith Villapudua is running for his seat in the State Assembly despite spending the last year campaigning for the same State Senate seat Carlos is now running for.
