Former Boston Youth Baseball Manager Found Guilty Of Child Rape

Boston MA

22 May, 2021

4:13 PM

Description

BOSTON — The former manager of the Boston Broncos youth baseball league was found guilty of child rape Friday. Jose Ortega, 49, was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court on two counts of child rape, and one count of indecent assault on a child under 14, open and gross lewdness and dissemination of matter harmful to minors. The conviction comes seven years after ICE officials deported Ortega and two years after he was returned from the Dominican Republic, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Ortega started grooming and abusing a 9-year-old boy in 2000, when he was the manager of the Boston Broncos baseball league. Ortega continued abusing the boy over a six-year period, prosecutors said. According to prosecutors, Ortega maintained the boy's silence and compliance by not playing him in games if the boy refused Ortega's sexual advances. "This case would not have been possible without the dedication of the prosecutors, the police, our federal partners, and most importantly, the courage and perseverance of the survivor,'" District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. "We want to hold serious offenders accountable regardless of their immigration status. We were forced to be patient, but this man, who groomed this victim robbing him of his childhood and love of baseball, was held accountable in Suffolk County." Ortega was previously convicted of child enticement in 2014. Prosecutors said that case also stemmed from an incident with a child in the youth baseball league. Prosecutors said Ortega was indicted and arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court and remained on held on bail before having his sentenced reduced to personal recognizance with the agreement that Ortega would appear in court for all upcoming court dates. But before Ortega's court date, he was taken into custody and deported. Ortega's sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. "What matters most is the truth and speaking about what happened," Rollins said. "This survivor stood up not only for himself, but for the countless other young people affected by child abuse and sexual assault."