Fernando Archuleta charged with sex assault on 14-year-old convinced he was a rapper | The Latest Word | Denver | Denver Westword | The Leading Independent News Source in Denver, Colorado
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Fernando Archuleta charged with sex assault on 14-year-old convinced he was a rapper

Famous rappers have it all -- booze, bucks and broads. Phony rappers, on the other hand, take what they can get. And criminal phony rappers do it by force. Which brings us to Fernando Archuleta, who's accused of using bogus rap credentials to rape a fourteen-year-old...
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Famous rappers have it all -- booze, bucks and broads. Phony rappers, on the other hand, take what they can get. And criminal phony rappers do it by force.

Which brings us to Fernando Archuleta, who's accused of using bogus rap credentials to rape a fourteen-year-old.

According to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, Archuleta, a forty-year-old who goes by the name "Marz," hung out a lot at Water World in the summer of 2009 -- and he appears to have had intentions that went beyond wholesome family fun.

He allegedly approached a fourteen-year-old girl at the wave pool and offered to teach her surfboard tricks. And those weren't the only youthful activities in which he claimed to be adept. He's said to have told her he was an artist who painted clothing, as well as an "aspiring rapper."

Oh yeah: He also claimed to be 28.

The Water World intro did the trick: Police reports say Archuleta and the girl met at an area mall and an arts festival, and began texting as well. Then, one evening, Archuleta sent her a message saying he had some CDs he wanted to show her.

The girl told cops she responded by inviting Archuleta to her Westminster house, letting him in through a window -- at which point he raped her.

Archuleta has been charged with sexually assaulting a child in a pattern of conduct, a class three felony -- and Westminster police aren't convinced the girl was his only victim. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to phone the department at 303-658-4243. If more accusers come forward, this aspiring rapper could wind up with quite a rap sheet.

Look below to see a larger version of Archuleta's mug shot.

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More from our Follow That Story archive: "Scott Howard: Prison rape survivor's story going international."

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