A Juneau man was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for coercion, a felony charge that had replaced two original counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

Judge David George in Juneau Superior Court told Cresencio B. Bagoyo III, 32, that given the seriousness of the crime and his “substantial criminal history,” he felt the need to isolate him.

“A felony is likely to happen (every time you’re unsupervised in the community), and that has been the case,” George said.

Bagoyo has 10 priors — seven prior misdemeanors and three felonies — making this his fourth felony. The three felonies were theft, vehicle theft and arson, which caused about $700,000 in damage in 2002, according to assistant district attorney Amy Williams.

“It’s clear that given his record, the state needed to take this seriously ... in the interest of community safety,” Williams said.

Bagoyo’s attorney David Seid had asked for a flat three year sentencing, but George sided with the state which wanted the maximum punishment for the class ‘C’ felony.

“You need to know you’re going to get hit harder and harder and harder,” George said, adding that minors cannot be exploited.

Charging documents indicate Bagoyo engaged conduct from the minor by instilling a fear that, “if the demand was not complied with, he or another might expose confidential information tending to subject her to hatred, contempt or ridicule.”

Bagoyo pleaded guilty to that charge in late August of this year.

• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-6623 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.