DuPage County prosecutors are investigating whether a Downers Grove man accused of molesting a young girl swayed her testimony by contacting her family before his trial in August.

Santiago Diaz, 47, 2045 Prentiss Drive, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse last year for allegedly molesting the girl multiple times from November 2006 to May 2007.

When she took the witness stand in August, the girl, who was 12 and 13 at the time of the alleged abuse, contradicted statements she previously made to police and prosecutors.

Circuit Judge Blanche Hill Fawell postponed the trial to give prosecutors time to sort out the discrepancies.

“She testified differently than expected,” assistant state’s attorney Brian Perkins said.

Authorities are reviewing 60 hours of recorded phone calls Diaz made from the DuPage County Jail, including some to the girl’s mother, Perkins said. The recordings are in Spanish and must be translated and transcribed.

The court previously had ordered Diaz not to have any contact with the family.

Prosecutors are trying to determine whether the phone calls might have caused the girl to change her testimony, Perkins said.

Appearing before Fawell on Thursday, Diaz expressed his desire for a speedy resolution to the case.

“I would like this terminated as soon as possible,” he said, with his lawyer serving as the interpreter. 

If convicted, Diaz faces three to seven years in prison.