Israel Flores Ortiz, 18, an illegal alien, was sentenced to 360 days on Tuesday after being convicted for groping several female classmates in Fairfax High School hallways earlier this year.
With time served and the calculations for a misdemeanor, he has 135 days left in prison.
Judge Melinda Vanlowe delivered the sentence, calling it a “very difficult case,” adding the actions were “targeted” and representing a “pattern” of “deplorable” behavior.
Fairfax County public defender Jamie Hospes asked Judge Vanlowe for a sentence of 9 days, calling the offenses just “butt-grabbing,” adding, “sometimes we arrest people for that, sometimes we elect them to be president of the United States.”
Flores Ortiz wore a green prison jumpsuit and listened to the proceedings through an interpreter.
He read a statement in Spanish, saying he apologized to the girls he had grabbed and their families.
“I hurt them,” he said, also apologizing to his own mother and father.
Flores Ortiz was charged as an adult, but he was tried in juvenile court because most of the victims were minors. He was convicted in nine cases, acquitted in three and had one charge dismissed. He had originally been accused of assaulting 13 female classmates, according to the Fairfax Police Department.
The case had heightened concerns among parents about student safety after years of former President Joe Biden’s open borders policy.
Flores Ortiz, originally from El Salvador, is in the country illegally, having reportedly arrived in 2024.
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The defense asked the court to impose just nine days of incarceration, arguing Flores Ortiz’s age should weigh heavily in sentencing. Counsel said his “brain is physically not as developed” as that of a 25-year-old and argued his actions were not driven by sexual gratification.
Instead, the defense characterized the assaults as immature behavior, telling the court Flores Ortiz acted “for fun” and that “it was like a joke or prank.”
“Only a teenager would think like that,” counsel said.
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After the hearing, an attorney representing one of the teenage victims rejected the political framing.
“This should not be politicized,” the attorney said.
The defense said the defendant “is sorry” for his actions and “he agrees it was deplorable; he agrees it was a pattern.”
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Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano, who has been under fire for this case, as well as other high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Northern Virginia, spoke to the media after the sentencing. He called Fairfax County, “The safest large jurisdiction in the country.”
Prosecutor Jenna Sands read from a letter written by one of the victims who said for her this was not about immigration, but about “a guy who made me feel unsafe.”
“I want to back to being a normal kid,” the victim added.
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The judge allowed Flores Ortiz and his attorney to remain seated during sentencing, then sharply rebuked him as she laid out the impact of the assaults and his conduct after being confronted by one of the victims.
Referring to the evidence, the judge said that on March 4, “one of the students actually confronted you,” and made it “very clear it hurt her.”
Despite that, the judge said, Flores Ortiz went on to assault another victim two days later.
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The judge said that for the victims, the offenses had “adjusted how they move through life,” underscoring the lasting effect the assaults had on the students involved.
After serving his sentence, Flores Ortiz will be placed on two years of probation. The judge also ordered him to undergo a psychosexual evaluation and complete any treatment recommended as a result.
Addressing Flores Ortiz directly, the judge struck a more measured tone at the close of the hearing, telling him, “I absolutely believe in redemption” and, “this does not define you.”
She added, “You can go on to do great things.”
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano told reporters after the hearing that he was “happy with the outcome,” and said prosecutors “stand ready” if Flores Ortiz chooses to appeal.
The case stems from a series of incidents in crowded school hallways that prosecutors said involved Flores Ortiz groping female students. The allegations sparked scrutiny in Fairfax County over school supervision and hallway safety.
Both Jake Gibson and Peter Pinedo reported from the courtroom.
