A Portland counselor who admitted to sexually abusing a teenage refugee in her care will serve one year of home detention with electronic monitoring, followed by five years of federal probation, instead of prison time. She must also register as a sex offender and is tightly restricted on when she can leave her house.
The case was handled in federal court before U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio, according to the U.S. District Court of Oregon, which lists the hearing on its April 2, 2026 calendar.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 34-year-old Teresa Valdovinos-Godinez pleaded guilty in January to one count of abusive sexual contact tied to her work as a counselor at Morrison Child & Family Services’ Mi Futuro shelter. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the abuse occurred between Sept. 12 and Oct. 8, 2023, and Valdovinos-Godinez agreed to pay restitution as part of her plea.
Reporting by The Oregonian/OregonLive says prosecutors identified the victim as a 16-year-old refugee from Honduras who was in federal custody at the shelter. Court filings and prosecutors allege Valdovinos-Godinez passed the teen notes that professed affection, hugged and kissed him, and touched his genitals through his clothing.
Where it happened
Mi Futuro is a residential program funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and run by Morrison Child & Family Services for unaccompanied children who are waiting for immigration proceedings. Morrison Child & Family Services describes the shelter as providing classroom education, health care, mental health services and case management, with its street address kept confidential.
Sentence and legal requirements
According to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Judge Baggio ordered home detention with electronic monitoring and five years of federal probation instead of the prison term prosecutors had urged. The sentence allows only probation-approved exceptions for work, school, children’s school or medical appointments, and visits with her attorney. Valdovinos-Godinez is required to register as a sex offender.
Prosecutors told the court they had recommended a year in prison, and court filings say investigators found that Valdovinos-Godinez had searched online for information about kissing a minor and statutory rape. Defense attorney Robert L. Sepp pushed for a lighter outcome, arguing his client is the primary caregiver for young children, according to court records and news coverage.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General is investigating the case, and that Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Rochat and Pamela Paaso prosecuted it. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicated that the investigation and federal oversight of program contractors remain active following Valdovinos-Godinez’s conviction.
