Police in California are urging anyone who may have been victimized by a 62-year-old man Latu Kamisese Lavaki (originally from Tonga) to contact law enforcement.

Lavaki was convicted of raping his niece in the holiday break of 2006-07, by a court and jury in San Mateo, California on Monday 10 September, and currently awaits sentencing.

The San Mateo County Sherriff’s Office released a media statement on Wednesday, calling Lavaki a “prolific sexual predator” and urging any victims or witnesses to step forward. The Sherriff’s Office stated: “On Monday, September 10th, a prolific sexual predator was convicted in San Mateo County. The molestation started in the mid-80's and the suspect victimized many girls over the past few decades. Unfortunately, with the statute of limitations for some of these crimes, we were unable to prosecute him on all the cases we know about. But we believe there are potentially more victims out there. Lavaki has ties in San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and in the state of Utah. If you knew this suspect, had any contact with him or allowed him to be around your child/children or believe anyone may have been victimized, please contact Detective Sergeant Joseph Cang at (650)363-4008 or email him at jcang [at] smcgov [dot] org.”

Lavaki’s niece

According to prosecutors, the victim was only 7 years’ old when she was raped by Lavaki at a home in San Mateo. She opened up about the incident several years after it occurred, and was compelled to speak out after she discovered that Lavaki had molested other members of her family.