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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Real Salt Lake player accused of having sex with a minor has taken a plea deal.
The Deseret News reports 24-year-old forward Ricardo Velazco pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge of misdemeanor sexual battery.
The Casa Grande, Arizona, native was suspended from the team and Major League Soccer after he was charged with having unlawful sex with a 15-year-old girl in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper in May.
His lawyer Greg Skordas says Velazco met the girl in a bar and thought she was 18.
He says the deal allows Velazco to avoid a felony conviction or having to register as a sex offender. Sentencing is set for Jan. 16.
Real Salt Lake did not immediately return a Deseret News message seeking comment.
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