Construction worker at Viking Lakes apartments pleads guilty to raping cleaner on job site
A construction worker pleaded guilty on Thursday to raping a co-worker in an apartment bathroom during construction of Viking Lakes, a sprawling multi-use Eagan development built by the Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings.
Juan Diego Medina Cisneros, a 31-year-old Mexican citizen, was charged in Dakota County two-and-a-half years ago but wasn't apprehended until last June by border patrol agents at the Gateway International Bridge in Texas. The Dakota County Sheriff's Office brought him back to Minnesota, where he was released the next day on $100,000 bail.
The assault came to light as the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters was helping workers report their allegations of wage theft on the Viking Lakes development by two subcontractors — Absolute Drywall and Advantage Construction.
Absolute Drywall employee Norma Izaguirre said she repeatedly rejected Medina Cisneros' advances while working as a cleaner at Viking Lakes, which is built around the Vikings' headquarters and training facility.
One day in May 2021, Medina Cisneros came up behind Izaguirre as she was cleaning a bathtub and raped her.
(The Reformer does not typically name survivors of sexual violence, but Izaguirre consented when she shared her story with the Reformer in 2022. She has spoken publicly about her attack in hopes of preventing other women in construction from being treated the way she was.)
Izaguirre told her supervisor about the abuse, but the company determined it was a consensual relationship and owner Dan Ortega fired Izaguirre soon after.
In response to a complaint Izaguirre filed with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Absolute Drywall said Izaguirre was fired for creating a hostile work environment by refusing to do cleanup work. Izaguirre said she did complain to her supervisor about having to clean bathtubs because they were often filled with urine and other excrement.
Izaguirre watched Thursday's court proceeding over Zoom, wiping away tears as Medina Cisneros admitted to the assault in Spanish through an interpreter. Medina Cisneros' attorney said he was 'deeply remorseful.'
Izaguirre has filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which is investigating her allegations of sex discrimination, and could bring a lawsuit against the contractor.
Medina Cisneros will serve 36 months in prison followed by 10 years probationary release. His lawyer explained to him during Thursday's hearing that he will likely be deported upon leaving prison.
It's unclear if Medina Cisneros has legal authorization to be in the United States, and he could be swept up in Trump administration efforts to carry out widespread deportations. Izaguirre's attorney said they hope he will serve prison time in the United States to ensure justice is served.
Dakota County District Court Judge Luis Morales seemed dissatisfied with the settlement agreement, which is five months shorter than the sentencing guideline. But he said he would accept the agreement because Izaguirre approved. He said he would make further comments when Medina Cisneros returns to court on July 8 to be formally sentenced and taken into custody.
The state Department of Labor and Industry opened an investigation into Absolute Drywall for wage theft and is currently seeking $2.4 million in back wages for workers for Advantage Construction and its subcontractor Property Maintenance and Construction, including for work at the Viking Lakes development. It is the largest wage theft case ever brought by the agency.
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