Tony Navarrete

Otoniel "Tony" Navarrete (born October 14, 1986)[1] is an American politician who served as the state senator for Arizona's 30th legislative district from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served one term as a state representative for Arizona's 30th legislative district from 2017 to 2019. He resigned from the state senate on August 10, 2021, after being charged with multiple counts of sexual conduct with underaged children.[2][3]

Tony Navarrete
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 30th district
In office
January 14, 2019 – August 10, 2021
Preceded byRobert Meza
Succeeded byRaquel Terán
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 30th district
In office
January 9, 2017 – January 14, 2019
Serving with Ray Martinez
Preceded byDebbie McCune Davis
Succeeded byRaquel Terán
Personal details
Born1985 or 1986 (age 37–38)
Political partyDemocratic

Career

Navarrete was a community organizer with Promise Arizona, a pro-immigration advocacy group which helped Hispanics and Latinos register to vote at taco trucks after Marco Gutierrez's "taco trucks on every corner" remark.[4][5] During his time in office, Navarrete was one of four openly LGBT members of the Arizona State Legislature, alongside Robert Meza, Daniel Hernández, and Cesar Chavez,[6] and was a founding member of the legislature's LGBT caucus.[7]

Child sex abuse charges

On August 5, 2021, Navarrete was arrested in Phoenix on multiple charges of sexual conduct with a minor in 2019, including one count of molestation of a minor involving two boys aged 16 and 13. The two victims worked with the FBI to secure verbal testimony from Navarrete admitting to and apologizing for the sexual acts. The two boys, per the police report, were his nephews. Navarette abused one boy at night for several years per recorded conversations overhead by police. He was released on a $50,000 secured bond. The serious nature of the charges resulted in bipartisan calls for his resignation.[2] Navarette resigned on August 10, 2021.[3][8]

Elections

In 2016, Navarrete and Ray Martinez defeated incumbent Jonathan Larkin in the Democratic primary and went on to defeat Republican Gary Cox the general election.[9]

References
  1. Lipscomb, Jessica (August 11, 2021). "An Arizona state senator has resigned days after police say he apologized for molesting a teen boy". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  2. Baker, David (August 7, 2021). "Documents reveal sexual allegations between state Sen. Tony Navarrete, two children". Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  3. Rose, Andy; LeBlanc, Paul (August 10, 2021). "Arizona state lawmaker resigns after arrest on child sexual abuse charges". CNN. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  4. "Does election shift DREAMers to mass deportation? AZ immigrants fear future". Arizona Capitol Times, November 16, 2016.
  5. "'Taco trucks on every corner' inspires voter registration at Valley food truck". Phoenix Business Journal, October 6, 2016.
  6. "After Phoenix Pride, LGBT political representation is a yearlong issue". The State Press, April 15, 2018.
  7. "In Arizona, Advocating For The LGBTQ Community Starts In Local Politics". NPR.org. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  8. "Ex-Arizona state senator accused of molestation indicted". Independent.co.uk. August 20, 2021.
  9. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 General Election November 8, 2016" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
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