() The father of missing 7-month-old baby Emmanuel Haro says he was the “fall guy” regarding a suspended sentence for a separate child abuse case in 2018, allowing him to avoid prison.

Jake Haro, who is currently being held on $1 million bail and has been charged with the murder of baby Emmanuel, along with his wife, Rebecca, told the Orange County Register he did not abuse his now 7-year-old daughter, Promise Faith.

Promise, whom Jake Haro had with his ex-wife, was 10 months old at the time of the abuse.

She suffered numerous injuries, leaving her permanently bedridden.

“I pled guilty because I didn’t have the money to go to trial. … The judge said nobody would believe my side of the story,” Jake Haro told the Register of the case.

Sources have told ’s Brian Entin that Jake Haro, as a result of a Perkins operation, acknowledged he killed baby Emmanuel and put his body in the trash.

Rebecca Haro reported to police that she was knocked unconscious, and Emmanuel Haro was subsequently taken from her Aug. 14 while changing his diaper in a California car park.

Authorities believe baby Emmanuel is dead and has been for some time.