Sex offender may get up to 99 years even as child recanted

Despite the victim recanting her testimony against Fabian Celestine, a jury found him guilty of oral sexual battery of a child in less than 25 minutes of deliberation.

Celestine, 30, was convicted of the charge with a child under the age of 13 on March 15. He faces a sentence of at least 25 years and up to 99 years requiring that at least 25 years of the sentence be served without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. His sentence will be imposed by the Louisiana Department of Corrections at hard labor.

The Luling man’s increased penalty is based on the victim being under the age of 13 at the time of the offense.

Judge Lauren Lemmon set a post-conviction bond on Celestine at $200,000 and ordered he be taken into custody. As of March 23, he was in Nelson Coleman Correctional Center.

Parish District Attorney Joel T. Chaisson II called the verdict “the only just one under the circumstances.”

According to Chaisson, “Although on the morning of trial, the victim in the case recanted her numerous previous consistent statements about what happened to her, my prosecutors were able to convince the jury that the recantation was simply the result of external influence upon the victim to change her story at the last minute.”

Celestine was out on bond in the case, but remanded back into custody of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office after prosecutors moved to increase the bond based on the verdict and allegations that he violated bond requirements. At that point, Lemmon upped the bond to $200,000.

Chaisson said Rochelle Champagne Fahrig and Julie Cullen, both assistant district attorneys, prosecuted the case in the two-day trial that resulted in the jury’s unanimous verdict.

He also thanked the Sheriff’s Office, particularly Detective Walter Banks, for his dedication in the case.

“My office will continue to fight for all victims, especially those who are unable to fight for themselves,” Chaisson said. “And we will not be deterred by any efforts by defendants or their family to circumvent justice.”