Harvard man sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual assault of 2 children

A Harvard man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of criminal sexual assault of two children.

Fernando Esquivel, 50, was sentenced to five years on each of the Class 1 felonies, to be served consecutively. He is required to serve 85% of his sentence, followed by three years to life of mandatory supervised release, an order signed by Judge Mark Gerhardt said. Esquivel also was ordered to register as a sexual predator for the remainder of his life, according to the order.

He will receive credit for 427 days spent in the county jail since his arrest, according to the order filed in McHenry County court .

In April 2024, the Harvard Police Department began investigating a report of sexual assault of a child. Authorities said they discovered that between Jan. 1, 2022, and April 14, 2024, Esquivel had repeatedly assaulted two minor females while he was living with them.

“State’s Attorney Randi Freese commends the victims for having the courage to come forward to report this abuse. Ms. Freese is grateful for the swift response and thorough investigation led by Detective Carmen Sacco of the Harvard Police Department. Freese also recognizes the Child Advocacy Center of McHenry County and members of the medical staff at Northwestern Medicine Hospital for their work on this case and their continued dedication to child victims,” a news release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s office said. “This case was successfully prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Margaret O’Brien.”