EL CAJON, Calif. (CNS) — A former East County certified nursing assistant was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years to life in state prison for sexually assaulting three women at nursing care facilities in El Cajon and La Mesa.
Matthew Fluckiger, 37, was convicted by an El Cajon jury of three felony counts, including forcible lewd act on a dependent adult by a caretaker, all of which involved the same victim.
Jurors voted 11-1 in favor of convicting Fluckiger of two other counts, but he later pleaded guilty to those charges before a retrial could begin.
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The victims lived at Avocado Post Acute and San Diego Post-Acute Center -- both in El Cajon -- and Parkway Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation in La Mesa at the time of the crimes.
Two of the facilities were fined by the California Department of Public Health, according to KPBS, which reported that Fluckiger was first accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 at another El Cajon facility, yet no action was taken against him.
One of the victims addressed Fluckiger in court, calling him a "monster" and later told reporters after the sentencing hearing that she felt, "Justice was served. He can't hurt anybody else."
Deputy District Attorney Joshua Brisbane said, "Saying these victims are courageous is an understatement. It takes a lot of strength to come to court and talk about your worst days, and that's what they all did."
