Prison term in plea deal for Petaluma woman who brokered sex with girl, disabled woman

Tawnya Hopper reached a plea bargain carrying a 25-to-life sentence. She could get parole in 19 years under the deal.|
PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A Petaluma woman charged with arranging sex for men in her home with an 8-year-old girl and a developmentally disabled woman reached a plea bargain with prosecutors Wednesday carrying a 25-to-life sentence.

Tawnya Lynn Hopper, 43, faced more than 60 years in prison if convicted in her upcoming trial of orchestrating the forced encounters through text messages and the internet.

Instead, Hopper accepted a prosecution offer with the possibility of parole after about 19 years, her lawyer said.

Prosecutors said the crimes happened in 2015. The victims testified at a preliminary hearing that Hopper brought them to a room for the sexual encounters with men. She remained in the room and recorded video of the older victim.

Hopper was arrested in November 2015 during a pornography ring investigation conducted by the FBI and San Francisco police.

She will be sentenced Sept. 19.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.

EDITOR's NOTE: This story has been revised to more precisely describe the forced nature of the sexual encounters involving the two victims.

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