(RICHMOND) – A 51-year-old Sugar Land man has been found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a young child and two charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 25 years, 16 years, and 16 years, respectively. The sentences will run consecutively requiring Jose Florentino Ortiz to serve 57 years in prison. Ortiz will not be eligible for parole until he serves at least 49 years.
Evidence presented by Fort Bend County child abuse prosecutors Alycia Curtis and Craig Priesmeyer revealed that Ortiz began sexually abusing a girl in the mid-1990’s when she was approximately five years old. He continued his abuse against her for over a decade before moving on to the girl’s younger sister and a third female family member several years later. The jury heard testimony that during the sheriff’s office investigation in the summer of 2020, Ortiz confessed to molesting two of the three victims and described himself as having a “pedophile mind.”
Lead prosecutor Alycia Curtis said, “The scope of sexual abuse in this case, against three separate victims, was horrific. But the girls showed incredible bravery coming forward and facing their abuser in court.”
Ortiz testified at trial, attempting to walk back his confession and accusing the victims of making up and exaggerating the sexual abuse.
“This is what you get when we catch you abusing children in this county,” said District Attorney Brian Middleton. “I am proud of my prosecutors, the judge, and the jury for working hard to ensure that this man can never harm another child in his lifetime. I am especially proud of the young survivors who held the defendant accountable. We should all be so brave.”
Curtis and Priesmeyer commended the work of Sergeant Michael Alexander for his investigation of the case and expressed their gratitude for the other agencies involved including Harris Health Systems and Child Advocates of Fort Bend.