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An 18-year-old Fairfax High School student has been sentenced to 360 days behind bars after being convicted of repeatedly groping female classmates in crowded school hallways.
Israel Flores Ortiz was found guilty April 10 of nine misdemeanor assault and battery counts in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. He received the sentence Tuesday and will receive credit for time already served.
Flores-Ortiz initially faced 13 charges involving inappropriate touching. Surveillance footage played in court showed him touching the students.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano called the conduct unacceptable and said prosecutors pursued the case because Flores-Ortiz had systematically and repeatedly assaulted the girls.
Flores-Ortiz, a Fairfax High junior, entered the United States illegally from El Salvador in 2024. The Department of Homeland Security has said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is prepared to take him into custody and deport him if he is released.
Asked about immigration enforcement, Descano said prosecutors do not have unlimited authority. He said his office must follow the evidence, the Constitution and other legal requirements, and that its decisions are based solely on what the law permits.
Demetry Pikrallidas, an attorney for one of the students, said politics had no place in the case. He acknowledged that Flores-Ortiz’s immigration status had attracted attention but said his focus remained on protecting his client and securing justice for her.