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October 2, 2024: DA Gascón Announces Charges Against Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy in Sexual Assault of Minor
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Benny Vincente Caluya, Jr. charged with sexual assault of Lancaster teen
LANCASTER, CA - Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today that retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Benny Vincente Caluya, Jr. is charged with allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl in August in the city of Lancaster. Caluya and a second man, Clifford Leimana Abihai, also are charged with providing methamphetamine to the minor.
“Today, we stand firmly in solidarity with this courageous teenage survivor, a young girl whose vulnerability was exploited,” said District Attorney Gascón. “It is particularly egregious that a former law enforcement officer sexually preyed upon a teenage girl and along with his accomplice supplied her with methamphetamine. These reprehensible acts are utterly unacceptable. We have a solemn obligation to ensure her voice is not only heard but amplified, and that she receives the comprehensive support she desperately needs through our Bureau of Victim Services. We will pursue justice with unwavering resolve, holding these offenders accountable for their heinous actions.”
Benny Vincente Caluya, Jr. (DOB: 4/1/56) and Clifford Leimana Abihai (DOB 1/4/75) are charged in case 24AVCF01460 with one felony count each of sale or furnishing a controlled substance to a minor. Caluya also is charged with one felony count of lewd act upon a child aged 14 or 15.
Between August 27 and 28, 2024, Caluya and Abihai allegedly picked up the teenager who was walking alone in the city of Lancaster and provided her with methamphetamine. Caluya is accused of sexually assaulting the victim at his home in Lancaster.
Caluya and Abihai were arraigned on September 30, and both pleaded not guilty to their respective charges. A preliminary hearing setting for both defendants is scheduled November 12 in Dept.A1at the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse.
If convicted as charged, Caluya faces a maximum sentence of nine years and eight months in prison, and Abihai faces a maximum sentence of nine years in prison.
Caluya retired from the LA County Sheriff’s Department in 2001.
The court granted bond for both defendants. Caluya was released on a $250,000 bond posted on September 3. Abihai was released on a $100,000 bond posted on September 5.
The case is being prosecuted by LADA’s Sex Crimes Division and investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau.
