A supervisor for a subcontractor that helped build the Viking Lakes apartment complex in Eagan pleaded guilty this week to criminal sexual conduct in regard to one of his firm's female workers.
Juan Diego Medina Cisneros was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison.
The criminal charges against Cisneros were originally filed in 2021 in Dakota County District Court. However, he fled the state and wasn't apprehended until last year when he was caught by Texas border patrol agents and extradited to Minnesota.
The survivor, Norma Izaguirre, told police in 2021 she was hired by Lakeville-based Absolute Drywall Inc. to clean the jobsite at Viking Lakes. The development is near the Minnesota Vikings' training facility and was developed by the MV Ventures Development firm. The firm and the team are owned by the Wilf family.
"We are grateful for the diligent efforts of the Dakota County sheriff and Dakota County Attorney to successfully investigate and prosecute the offenses as reported in the media this week," said Jeff Anderson, MV Ventures' chief communications officer. "We take any reports of sexual assault seriously and condemn the defendant's admitted conduct. We also remain troubled by the allegation that the defendant's employer failed to properly investigate the report and take appropriate action to protect its employees."
MV Ventures said it did not know about the attack and that "workplace harassment or abuse will not be tolerated."
During her employment at Absolute Drywall, Izaguirre said Cisneros repeatedly sexually harassed her, shortchanged her wages and ultimately attacked her in May 2021 during one of her cleaning shifts in a bathroom on the site.
According to court records, she was terminated after asking a supervisor for help.
Izaguirre reported the attack to police and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. In 2022, she disclosed her story publicly on the steps of the State Capitol while surrounded by scores of union workers, worker rights advocates and legislators.
Cisneros admitted attacking Izaguirre in court on Thursday. He also said he threatened to harm her if she told anyone.
"It took an immense amount of bravery for Norma to come forward," said Richard Kolodziejski, government affairs director for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. "Her desire to ensure that this never happens to another woman on a jobsite carried her through this process, as challenging as it was."

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