Man arrested for allegedly raping woman who came to him for ‘spiritual cleansing’ in Oxnard

OXNARD, Calif. - Oxnard police arrested a man who allegedly raped a woman and forced her into oral copulation after she went to him for a spiritual cleansing session Friday evening.

Oxnard police responded to the woman's report of sexual assault in the 200 block of Roderick Avenue around 6:48 p.m.

The victim told officers that 52-year-old William Gallero forced sexual acts upon her through rape and oral copulation while she was in an abandoned business building on the street.

She said she had learned about Gallero from an advertisement on a local radio station for spiritual cleansing.

She made an appointment to meet him and was instructed to bring a piece of material that had meaning to her wrapped in aluminum foil. Once she arrived, the spiritual cleansing began and Gallero reportedly gave the victim some water to drink. After consuming the water, the victim said she became dizzy and was sexually assaulted by Gallero.

The Family Protection Unit arrested Gallero for one count of oral copulation by force and one count of rape by force. Gallero was booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility. His bail is set at $5,000,000.

The Oxnard Police Department’s Fraud Unit was called to the location to investigate a possible scam involving a large amount of money found during a search warrant at the abandoned business building.

Oxnard police said they believe there may have been other victims involved in similar incidents with Gallero. Officers report discovering Gallero may also be known under the name William Fernando Gallero-Agudelo. Police said Gallero was squatting in the abandoned business building until he could return to his home in Argentina.

Anyone with information related to this case or anyone who experienced a similar incident with Gallero is asked to contact Detective Juanita Suarez at (805) 385-7759.