BIGGS, CA (MPG) – Former Biggs Mayor Robert Brian Bassett was sentenced Sept. 2 to four years and four months in state prison after previously admitting to multiple sex crime charges involving a 17-year-old foreign exchange student who lived in his home in 2023.
Butte County Superior Court Judge Michael Deems imposed the maximum prison term and ordered Bassett, 58, to register as a sex offender for 10 years following his release.
The Butte County Probation Department had recommended a midterm prison sentence, according to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. Deems instead imposed the maximum term, citing the victim’s vulnerability, a pattern of grooming and Bassett’s violation of a position of trust as aggravating factors.
During the sentencing hearing, a prosecutor read a statement from the victim describing the continuing effects of what happened while she was living thousands of miles from her family.
The District Attorney’s Office said Bassett groomed the student for several months before engaging in illegal sexual acts with her.
Gridley police arrested Bassett in July while officers executed a search warrant at his C Street home in Biggs. The arrest followed a months-long investigation by Gridley detectives into allegations that Bassett had a sexual relationship with the underage exchange student while he served as mayor in 2023.
Detectives contacted the student in her home country. She told investigators that Bassett had several sexual encounters with her when she was 17 and living in his home, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Gridley detectives worked with investigators from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office to investigate the allegations and gather corroborating evidence. Officers later obtained warrants for Bassett’s arrest and a search of his property.
The District Attorney’s Office did not identify the victim or disclose her home country in the release.
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SUB_BryanBassetARR – Robert Brian Bassett, 58, former mayor of Biggs, was sentenced Sept. 2 to four years and four months in state prison after admitting to multiple sex crime charges involving an underage foreign exchange student he hosted in 2023. Photo courtesy of the Butte County District Attorney’s Office.