A 40-year-old Corning man has been sentenced for sexually assaulting his niece. On the day after Thanksgiving in 2019 the victim’s family had a gathering. The victim wasn’t feeling well so she went into her room to lay down. Her uncle, Jose Verduzco Mendoza, went into her room repeatedly and sexually assaulted her multiple times. The victim and her mother finally reported the attack to the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office the following May. Convicted of sexual battery by restraint, criminal threats and dissuading a witness, Mendoza has been sentenced to 9 years 8 months in state prison.