BOSTON (WHDH) - The former manager of the Boston Broncos youth baseball league was found guilty of child rape by a Suffolk Superior Court jury on Friday, seven years after he was deported by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and two years after he was returned from the Dominican Republic.
Jose “Brujo” Ortega, 49, was found guilty of two counts of rape of a child, one count of indecent assault on a child under 14, one count of open and gross lewdness, and one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins.
Ortega allegedly began grooming and abusing the victim in 2000 when the boy was nine years old, said DA Rollins. The man continued to abuse the boy over a period of approximately six years.
Prosecutors said that Ortega, the then manager of the Boston Broncos baseball league, secured the victim’s silence and compliance by not playing him in games if the boy did not give in to 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,’’ said DA Rollins. “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.”
Ortega was previously convicted of child enticement in 2014 for his actions toward another member of the youth baseball league, Rollins said. He was indicted on in the case, arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court and remained on high bail before having his sentenced reduced to personal recognizance with the agreement that Ortega would appear in court for all upcoming court dates.
However, by the next hearing on June 6, 2014, Ortega had been taken into custody by ICE and deported.
A sentencing date has not yet been set for this case.
“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.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)