Stripes employee accused of raping woman pleads guilty, civil lawsuit pending

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Stripes employee accused of raping a woman in the bathroom at work has entered a plea of guilty in his case.

Juan Francisco Briones, 48, is charged with a count of sexual assault, according to Hidalgo County Jail Records for an incident that occurred in November of 2023.

Juan Francisco Briones (Hidalgo County Jail)

A separate civil lawsuit stated that on Nov. 23, 2023, a woman visited the Stripes gas station located at 5600 N. Ware Road in McAllen. The woman states she went to the bathroom and was followed by Briones, who was the Stripes manager at the time.

Briones allegedly locked the woman in and raped her. Shortly after, a second woman who also worked at the Stripes joined the lawsuit, stating that she experienced inappropriate touching at the hands of Briones and allegedly received demands from him for sex.

On March 18, 2025, Briones pleaded guilty to his charge or sexual assault against the first victim. He was granted deferred adjudication and ordered to severe seven years of community service.

However, Hidalgo County records indicate that Briones is now requesting that his case go to trial. The motion for a new trial was entered in April and cites extreme prejudice and a request to set aside an involuntary plea of guilt, which was allegedly entered due to ineffective assistance from his counsel.

A hearing to determine if his motion will be rejected or passed is scheduled for Tuesday.

“While we are glad Briones has pled guilty, we are disappointed with the slap on the wrist he received,” said attorney Israel Perez III who is representing the alleged victims in the civil suit. “I hope we can bring [my clients] and all victims of Briones justice through the civil proceedings.”

Additionally, the civil lawsuit is this case is still pending.