Rapist gets jail, deportation

Emmanuel Figueroa, who became the target of vigilante justice after he raped an 11-year-old girl, was sentenced Thursday to eight to 20 years in state prison and five years of probation.

Figueroa, 25, will be deported to his native Dominican Republic once his sentence is completed, said Assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti.

Figueroa, in blue prison clothing, looked straight ahead during his sentencing hearing and barely acknowledged his attorney or the Spanish interpreter who continuously whispered in his ear.

In July 2008 he raped the learning-disabled girl after tricking her to come next door to his girlfriend's house on Godfrey Avenue in Lawndale.

Figueroa warned the girl not to tell anyone, and she complied out of fear for four months until she fainted, was rushed to the hospital and learned that she was pregnant. The pregnancy was terminated.

Before Figueroa was arrested, the girl's uncle and other relatives tracked him down, administered a severe beating and turned over the bruised and bloodied man to police.

In August, the girl's uncle, Antwione Hough, 39, received a sentence of 11 1/2 to 23 months of house arrest followed by seven years of probation.