RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — An appellate court in Texas has denied the appeal of Pastor Geronimo Aguilar, a convicted sex offender, and former Richmond megachurch pastor.

The former “Roc Church” pastor was convicted on seven counts of sexual assault on a minor, stemming from incidents involving two young girls. The incidents happened during the1990’s while he was a youth pastor in Texas.

He filed the appeal in September, asking for a Texas appeals court to reverse his conviction and grant him a new trial. His lawyers argued in their appeal brief that the Texas court abused its discretion in admitting evidence of extramarital affairs that Aguilar had while living in Virginia.

At the time, his lawyers said that “pastor’s circus of a trial was anything but fair.”

As a result of the decision, Aguilar will remain in a Texas prison and serve out his 40-year sentence.

He will be eligible for parole in 20 years.8News has been following this story since it was first reported by Kerri O’Brien two years ago. Watch Part I and Part II of our special report that aired in Fall of 2015.Never miss another Facebook post from 8NewsFind 8News on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; send your news tips to iReport8@wric.com.