PHILADELPHIA, PA — Victor Ortiz, 47, of Philadelphia, was sentenced on April 11 to 84 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for stalking, assaulting, and permanently disfiguring a woman with whom he had a previous relationship. Ortiz was ordered to pay $3,300 in restitution as part of his sentence handed down by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick.
Ortiz was convicted by a jury in September 2022 for the May 4, 2022 attack, in which he pursued his ex-girlfriend as she walked to her office. He threw soda ash, a caustic chemical, on her face and torso, causing permanent scars and temporary blindness in her left eye.
Investigators uncovered evidence that Ortiz had affixed a GPS tracking device to the victim’s car to monitor her whereabouts. He was later caught on video attempting to install a second tracking device in July 2022.
This case further uncovered Ortiz’s troubling history of harassment and stalking. He was previously convicted in 2005 for criminally harassing his ex-wife and in 2016 was found by an arbitrator to have stalked another former partner using a GPS tracker.
“Victor Ortiz has a troubling pattern of refusing to move on when his relationships end,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “This sentence keeps him off the street, holds him accountable, and secures some measure of justice for the innocent woman he was so determined to hurt.”
Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia, Edward V. Owens, added, “Victor Ortiz’s deliberate and cruel actions inflicted deep physical and emotional harm on his victim. 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.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Philadelphia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Miller and Angella Middleton.
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