United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Victor Ortiz, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick to 84 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $3,300 in restitution for stalking, seriously injuring, and permanently disfiguring a woman with whom he had a previous relationship.
Ortiz was convicted following a jury trial in September of last year.
As proven at trial, on the morning of May 4, 2022, the defendant pursued his ex-girlfriend as she walked to her office in Philadelphia. Before she reached the building, the defendant threw soda ash, a caustic substance, on the victim’s face and torso.
His attack temporarily blinded her in the left eye and caused severe pain and permanent scarring on her body.
Investigators subsequently found that the defendant had attached a GPS device to the victim’s vehicle so that he could monitor her location and follow her. After law enforcement officials discovered the device, the defendant was caught on camera attempting to install a second GPS device on the victim’s vehicle in July 2022.
As detailed in court filings, Ortiz was previously convicted in Delaware County in 2005 of criminally harassing his ex-wife, and in 2016, an arbitrator found that he stalked another ex-girlfriend by placing a GPS device in her vehicle.
“Victor Ortiz has a troubling pattern of refusing to move on when his relationships end,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “In this case, he grew more and more fixated on his ex-partner, escalating from harassment to stalking to a violent assault that caused his victim lasting physical and emotional harm.”
“Victor Ortiz’s deliberate and cruel actions inflicted deep physical and emotional harm on his victim. HSI Philadelphia stands firm in its commitment to protecting individuals from predators and ensuring justice is served,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens.
Owens added, “Through our strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement, we will continue to pursue those who pose a threat to our communities and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
