New Bedford Man Sentenced to Total of 65 Years for Child Rape, Spanning Decades of Abuse

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A New Bedford man has been sentenced to a total of up to 65 years in state prison after he was convicted of a second case of child rape after being found guilty of sexually abusing two young family members over the course of a decade.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said that Joel Berberena, 37, was already serving a state prison sentence of 23 to 30 years for a previous child rape case in which he sexually abused a close young female relative and her classmate. He was convicted on those charges in March 2024.

A jury convicted him on September 1 in Fall River Superior Court on the new charges, which included seven counts of rape of a child aggravated by age, one count of assault with intent to rape a child, four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, and one count of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14.

Berberena was sentenced to 30 to 35 years in state prison on the new charges, bringing his total sentence up to 53 to 65 years.

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Details of the Allegations

Berberena began raping and sexually assaulting the two young female family members in 2011, when they were each around the age of 7, and continued until 2020, when they were into their teens. The assaults occurred in his home.

Statement from the Bristol County District Attorney

“In this case the defendant sexually abused two young victims, including one for a period of approximately 10 years. He had access to the victims because they were family members,” D.A. Quinn said. “The defendant preyed on these two vulnerable victims and engaged in this long-term despicable conduct.”

“The defendant was a predator who preyed on these young victims and deserved the lengthy sentences imposed by the court. Based on this reprehensible conduct the defendant is someone who should spend the rest of his life in jail,” Quinn said.