A Fairfax County teen who assaulted several female students inside of Fairfax High School was sentenced to roughly one year in an adult facility on Monday.
A judge sentenced 18-year-old Israel Flores Ortiz to 180 days for each of the nine charges that he was found guilty of. A Fairfax county judge suspended 140 days per charge.
“It is somebody who systematically assaulted a group of young girls in school, which we of course find unacceptable,” Steve Descano, Fairfax County commonwealth’s attorney, said.
The sentence comes after Fairfax County police say they received allegations from multiple incidents of physical assault on female students. All of the victims in the case were under 18.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also chimed in on the case after claiming that the suspect was in the U.S. without legal status and urged Fairfax County not to release Flores Ortiz.
Flores Ortiz’s defense attorney argued in court Monday that the case had been politicized by DHS and shared what he believed was the best sentencing for his client, saying, “My defendant takes responsibility for his actions and has accepted what he has done, and my client is years away from being fully developed.”
But the state’s attorney’s office argued back saying, “The defendant’s actions were deplorable, targeted, exhibited a pattern, and incarceration is warranted.”
Before the sentencing, Flores Ortiz said, “I apologize to the girls and their families and I also want to apologize to my family and my parents. I know I have brought shame and embarrassment to my parents for my actions. I am sorry.”
“It’s the vulnerability and the fact that she was touched in a school setting, and that shouldn’t have happened, so it goes beyond today. My job is to ensure that it never happens again,” said Attorney Demetry Pikrallidas, who represented one of the victims. “This is not going to go away for my client.”
As the judge handed down the sentence, she talked about the impact of Flores Ortiz’s actions on the victims, saying, “Those in the community have a right to feel safe, and your actions violated them. this incident and your actions changed how they move through life.”
“Our office is all about keeping our community safe and doing justice,” Descano said.
News4 reached out to Fairfax County Public Schools. In a statement, they said, “Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is grateful to law enforcement and to the team at Fairfax High School for their dedication in bringing this investigation to a conclusion and to their commitment to keeping our students and staff safe. In addition to the law enforcement investigation, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid has retained an independent outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter. The goal is clear: to establish a definitive understanding of what occurred, when it occurred, and confirm that all policies, procedures, and regulations were properly followed. The outside firm is currently conducting this thorough, objective, and independent review. The safety of our students and staff remains a top priority.”
In a statement to News4, DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said, “This adult criminal illegal alien should NOT have been attending a Virginia high school and allowed to prey on innocent teenage girls. His sentencing to only 180 days for his convictions for nine counts of assault and battery is nothing more than a slap on the wrist. We are once again calling on Governor Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to NOT RELEASE this sexual predator from jail back into our communities to victimize more innocent women. ICE stands ready to arrest this illegal alien if Governor Spanberger chooses to release him from jail.”
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