Israel Flores Ortiz, an 18-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was sentenced Tuesday to 360 days in prison after being convicted earlier this month of groping several girls at Fairfax County High School.
Originally accused of groping 13 female classmates, Flores Ortiz was convicted on nine counts of misdemeanor assault, found not guilty on three counts, and had one charge dropped.
Flores Ortiz has ten days to appeal the sentence. Including the time he has already served, Flores Ortiz has 135 days left on his sentence.
After Flores Ortiz completes his sentence, he will serve two years of probation. Judge Melinda Vanlowe, who delivered the sentence, ordered Flores Ortiz to undergo a psychosexual evaluation. Dependent on the results, he must also complete any recommended treatment.
Flores Ortiz was tried in juvenile court because most of his victims were minors. He was, however, charged as an adult. The girls said Flores Ortiz came up behind them and grabbed them between their legs.
According to evidence, one of the victims actually confronted Flores Ortiz in March, making it “very clear it hurt her.”
Vanlowe called the case “very difficult” and said the defendant’s actions were “targeted” and constituted a “pattern” of “deplorable” behavior, Fox News reported.
Jamie Hospes, Fairfax County public defender, requested a nine day sentence for Flores Ortiz’s crimes. Hospes characterized the incidents as “butt-grabbing.”
“Sometimes we arrest people for that, sometimes we elect them to be president of the United States,” Hospes said.
Counsel also argued Flores Ortiz’s mind is not fully developed, thus the sentence should reflect the punishment for an immature “joke or prank,” not a crime based in sexual gratification.
“Only a teenager would think like that,” counsel said.
Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano said after the hearing he is “happy with the outcome” of the case, Fox News reported. If Flores Ortiz appeals, Descano said prosecutors are ready.
Descano has faced immense backlash over his handling of Flores Ortiz’s case and several others in which illegal immigrants were either not prosecuted or let off with light sentences after committing serious crimes in Virginia. He described Fairfax County as “the safest large jurisdiction in the country.”
He also said his office proceeded with the case because the defendant is “somebody who systematically assaulted a group of young girls in schools, which we, of course, find unacceptable.”
Just before Tuesday’s sentencing, the Department of Homeland Security posted on X as it did before his conviction, reiterating its promise to detain and deport Flores Ortiz.
“Today, Flores-Ortiz will be sentenced. If Fairfax County’s sanctuary politicians choose to release this predator back into our communities, @ICEgov stands ready to take him into custody and deport this sexual deviant,” DHS wrote.
Flores Ortiz arrived in the United States illegally in 2024 under former President Joe Biden’s open border policies. He was able to attend high school in Virginia per a state law that allows illegal immigrants to attend public school, at the taxpayer’s expense, until the age of 22.
Previously, Descano’s office supported Flores Ortiz’s request for bail. Judge Dipti Pidikiti-Smith, however, denied that request. The judge said releasing Flores Ortiz was not in the public’s best interest.
At the end of March, following the report of Flores Ortiz’s assaults, the Department of Education initiated an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools.
“ED is opening yet another investigation in Fairfax County following reports from 12 high school girls who have credibly accused one male student – an illegal immigrant – of sexual assault,” the Department of Education said in a statement when the department announced the investigation. “This is the latest in a long list of investigations into Northern VA school divisions.”
Virginia schools have been the target are multiple DOE investigations. The department said five separate northern Virginia schools that allow students to use bathrooms that align with their self-proclaimed gender identity have had reports of male students inappropriately touching female students.
“Many female students in the Divisions have reported that they avoid using the restroom at school because the policies make them feel unsafe and uncomfortable,” the department said.
Toward the end of the Tuesday’s sentencing, the judge told Flores Ortiz, “this [crime] does not define you.”
Flores Ortiz was allowed to sit during the sentencing, and listened through an interpreter.