SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty Nov. 8 and was immediately sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for pimping in Orange County a 17-year-old Fresno girl he has known since middle school, according to court records.
Angel Antonio Ortiz of Fresno pleaded guilty to single felony counts each of human trafficking of an underage victim, criminal threats, and extortion, according to court records.
As part of the plea deal, charges of kidnapping to commit robbery, rape, or other sex crimes was dropped along with a felony count of pandering and a sentencing enhancement for human trafficking with force or fear of a minor.
Ortiz was sentenced to 13 years and eight months in prison.
The victim made a daring escape at a Motel 6 in Anaheim on Nov. 25, 2017, according to court papers.
The victim first met Ortiz when she was in the sixth grade and he was in eighth grade, according to the motion to increase the defendant’s bail that was filed after his arrest in November 2017.
The two had mutual friends, but fell out of touch when he graduated to high school, and met up again briefly when she was a freshman, according to investigators.
On Nov. 22, 2017, she was hanging around her apartment complex when she noticed Ortiz walking by and they struck up a conversation.
Ortiz told her he was there to buy marijuana from a resident, she told investigators.
The two connected on Facebook and sent messages to each other over the next few days until he said he was going to be back at her apartment complex to buy more marijuana, investigators said.
The victim got into the backseat of a car with Ortiz with another man driving and a woman in the front passenger seat Nov. 24, 2017, investigators said.
The victim grew suspicious as the car got on the highway and started heading south. When she asked Ortiz where they were going he laughed, investigators said.
Later, he said they were going to Los Angeles, prompting the victim to cry and plead with him to take her back home, investigators said.
Ortiz also told the victim he “was going to get her new clothes because she would not be able to make money wearing that,” according to the motion to increase bail.
Ortiz also said he would provide condoms and that the woman who was in the car would “help her post pictures so that they could make money for Ortiz like a good princess,” according to what she told investigators.
Ortiz told the victim she had to make $1,000 for him before she could go home.
At some point during the ride, the victim managed to send a picture of Ortiz from his Facebook profile and text it to a friend with a plea for help, investigators said.
Ortiz spotted her using the phone and the two got into a struggle over the device, investigators said. He yanked her hair and took the phone, which he tried to crack in half, investigators said.
When the four got to the Motel 6 at 100 Disney Way, Ortiz threatened to leave her alone in Anaheim, prompting her to run into the lobby, jump over a counter and plead with employees to call police, according to investigators.
