Israel Flores Ortiz, an 18-year-old illegal immigrant accused of groping more than a dozen high-school girls in Fairfax County, Virginia, was found guilty on nine counts Thursday. The guilty verdict came after critics of Soros-funded Democratic Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano accused him of flubbing the case by not subpoenaing witnesses until the day before.
After an all-day hearing in which a dozen victims testified, a judge found Flores Ortiz guilty of nine misdemeanor counts of assault and battery and not guilty of three other counts, reported local outlet WUSA9. One charge was thrown out by the judge, according to WJLA reporter Nick Minock.
Flores Ortiz, 18, was facing 13 counts of assault and battery for allegedly inappropriately touching female classmates at a Fairfax County, Virginia, school, according to police.
Flores Ortiz is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration in 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He was attending 11th grade.
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Local police were alerted March 5 by Fairfax High School about reports of multiple assaults on campus. An arrest warrant was issued, and Flores Ortiz turned himself in March 7.
His sentencing is set for April 21.
During the hearing, Sean Kennedy, president of Virginians for Safe Communities, accused Descano of intentional “incompetence” and of reducing the charges so that it would be harder to deport Flores Ortiz. Descano’s entry into political office was propelled by a massive $627,653 donation from the Soros family’s Justice and Public Safety PAC which made up roughly 70 percent of his 2019 campaign budget.
“DESCANO DOES IT AGAIN(,) Fairfax HS illegal alien groping case collapsing TODAY because FFX Soros DA Steve Descano only subpoenaed victims & witnesses yesterday!” Kennedy wrote on X Thursday. “This IS NOT incompetence—it’s intentional.”
A spokesperson for Descano’s office called Kennedy’s claims “blatantly untrue” and clarified that charges are set by a magistrate, not the commonwealth attorney. She also said that subpoenas were sent weeks in advance with “some additional subpoenas” being sent closer to the trial.
After the hearing, Kennedy, who was present in court during the hearing, told Fox News Digital that Descano’s office “deserves no credit for this verdict — a Pyrrhic victory as it is.”
“First, Descano undercharged the illegal alien groper with simple assault and battery instead of sexual battery which would have entailed registering as a sex offender or the more serious charge of aggravated sexual battery carrying a felony sentence of 20 years,” he said. “Then, Descano sought to release the offender on bail which the judge rightly rejected. Next, prosecutors sent out the witness and victims subpoenas only the day before — imperiling the case altogether.”
Despite this, he credited the guilty verdict to the victims, saying, “the girls showed up in force and forced Descano to try the case.”
“Disgustingly, Descano’s chief deputy diminished Flores Ortiz’s sexual assaults as ‘grabbing butts’ in her opening statement supposedly advocating on behalf of victims after having tried to block the media from covering the case,” he said. “This victory belongs entirely to the courageous and relentless victims who got themselves a modicum of justice.”
“Fortunately,” he concluded, “despite the likely light sentence Flores Ortiz will get ICE will provide him with free transportation home to El Salvador.”
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In response, Descano told Fox News Digital, “Today, my office went to trial on all 13 assault charges, giving each victim the opportunity to share their experiences with the court. After listening to the testimony and reviewing other evidence, the judge ultimately convicted the defendant of nine of those charges.”
Descano shared, “I was concerned when I learned of the defendant’s pattern of assault against minors in school – a place where all children should feel safe.” He added, “I’d like to extend my appreciation to all the victims for their bravery in sharing their testimony publicly, which is always a daunting task, but was made even more so in the face of the significant attention on this case.”
Additionally, Laura Birnbaum, a spokesperson for Descano’s office, dismissed Kennedy as “a political hack who regularly lies about Fairfax cases.”
Birnbaum added that, “Each of the claims here are blatantly untrue.”
She clarified that charges in Virginia are set by a magistrate, saying, “Our office was not involved in determining them” and “any claims that we downplayed the facts reflect a lack of understanding of the Virginia legal system.”
Birnbaum further stated that prosecutors “have never requested to release” Flores Ortiz and that the case “was never ‘in peril.’” According to Birnbaum, subpoenas were sent weeks ago, while “some additional subpoenas were sent closer to trial, and all of the people who received them came to court.”
She asserted that “It’s clear that Sean Kennedy will find any excuse to criticize our office, including making up facts when the facts don’t fit his narrative.”
This comes as Fairfax County, Virginia’s most populous county and a major suburb of Washington, D.C., is facing increased national scrutiny for a spate of crimes and violence by criminal illegal immigrants. The Trump administration has appealed to the county’s Democratic leadership, as well as new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, to not release illegal immigrants being charged with serious crimes.
During the hearing, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were prepared to arrest Flores Ortiz for deportation if he was released Thursday.
“If Fairfax County’s sanctuary politicians choose to release this predator back into our communities, (ICE) stands ready to take him into custody and deport this sexual deviant,” DHS posted on X.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainer has been filed and that he could face removal from the country.
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Virginia parents expressed disgust, frustration and fear about Fairfax High School’s handling of complaints alleging Flores Ortiz groped several girls from behind on school grounds.
Parent Stacy Langton told Fox News Digital recently, that “it’s terrifying as a parent, because when I send my daughters to school, I think they’re safe in the care of the school.”
“And in this case, they absolutely were not safe, and I don’t know what parent wouldn’t be completely distraught at the idea that their daughters could be getting sexually battered while they’re changing classes,” Langton said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Descano’s office for comment. Public defenders representing Flores Ortiz declined to comment, citing the case having not yet concluded.
