A former Colorado Springs financial adviser accused of coercing sex from an Iranian teen immigrant — and physically abusing and stalking her when their illicit relationship fizzled — will avoid prison under a plea deal announced in court Thursday.

David Arthur Wismer III, 53, pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. Under terms of his plea deal, Wismer is to serve 10 years to life on probation and up to 90 days in jail.

Had he gone to trial and been convicted, Wismer could have received the equivalent of a life sentence in prison under Colorado’s stringent sentencing guidelines for sex offenders.

Fourth Judicial District Judge Robert Lowrey will decide whether to accept the plea bargain and will impose his sentence at a hearing scheduled for Sept. 6.

In exchange for Wismer’s guilty plea, prosecutors will dismiss 27 other counts against him, including charges that he had sex with the girl when she was under 15, which carries a mandatory prison sentence.

But the victim, now an adult, would not cooperate in the prosecution because she wants to move on with her life, prosecutor Adam Bailey said after the hearing.

“She said we would have to arrest her,” Bailey said. “Our fear would be ending up with nothing.”

The victim, whose name is being withheld by The Gazette, said she first came to know Wismer after he helped her, her mother and sister immigrate to the U.S. from Iran in 2012. He was a church friend of her father’s and helped the family even after her parents split a year later, paying for a hotel stay and buying the mother a car to get to work, the girl told authorities.

She said she was still 14 when Wismer led her into a physical relationship that involved sex at a time she wasn’t lawfully able to consent. When the relationship began to fray, Wismer turned into a jealous lover, dunning her with messages and eventually stalking her, she told authorities.

Wismer was arrested in April 2017 after the girl said he grabbed her by the neck and twice threw her into a wall before dropping her to the ground and kicking her. Assault charges were among those thrown out under the plea agreement.

Given the victim’s Iranian citizenship, Bailey said, prosecutors were concerned she could leave the country. During Thursday’s hearing, the girl appeared via phone in a meeting facilitated by a Chicago attorney, Bailey said.

Without her cooperation, the prosecution would be left with a “complex” case involving allegations that would be difficult to prove, such as when the sex occurred, the prosecutor added.

Bailey said he had no information about the girl’s immigration status and couldn’t provide details on how Wismer helped get her and her family to the U.S.

Wismer, who worked for Boston-based LPL Financial and did business as Wismer Wealth Management Group, was fired after news of the criminal charges surfaced. He is no longer licensed as a financial manager in Colorado.

Wismer is free on $500,000 bond awaiting sentencing.