A Sacramento County jury convicted Gregory Ortiz on eight felony counts of child sexual assault Thursday, finding that he abused two girls over a period of years while exploiting a position of trust. Ortiz now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for October 2.
The case, tracked under Sacramento County Superior Court case number 24FE006441, was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Givens of the Special Assault & Child Abuse Unit within District Attorney Thien Ho's office, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. That unit specializes in prosecuting major felony offenses against minors. As FOX40 first reported, Ortiz faces a maximum sentence of life in prison following the verdict.
Beyond the eight felony counts, jurors also found true a multi-victim special allegation, a finding that carries significant weight in California sentencing law. The presiding judge separately found true aggravating circumstances: that the child victims were particularly vulnerable and that Ortiz had taken advantage of a position of trust, according to the district attorney's office.
How the Investigation Began
The case originated on September 21, 2023, when an initial victim reported to law enforcement that Ortiz had sexually touched her when she was about 11 or 12 years old. Per the district attorney's account, the girl tried to get away and repeatedly told Ortiz no. During the ensuing investigation, detectives identified a second victim, who disclosed that Ortiz had repeatedly sexually abused her when she was about 8 or 9 years old.
Sacramento police arrested Ortiz on April 22, 2024, booking him on two felony charges of lewd acts with children under 14, one of which involved allegations of force, violence or duress, according to the district attorney's office. The case proceeded to trial, culminating in the September 3 guilty verdict on all eight felony counts.
Sentencing Set Before Presiding Judge
Ortiz is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2 at 9 a.m. in Department 9A of the Sacramento County Superior Court. The hearing will be presided over by Judge Bunmi Awoniyi, who was appointed to the Sacramento Superior Court bench in 2012 and became the court's first African American Presiding Judge in January 2024, according to a report by KCRA 3.
Whether the sentence Judge Awoniyi hands down amounts to a specific term of years or a life sentence remains an open question ahead of the hearing, as does whether Ortiz's defense counsel will file any post-trial motions before then.
Part of a Broader Sentencing Pattern
Under California Penal Code provisions governing child sex crimes, findings like the multi-victim allegation and abuse-of-trust aggravator allow judges to stack consecutive sentences per count, exposing defendants to multi-decade or life terms. The mechanism has shaped a string of recent outcomes in Hoodline's coverage of Sacramento County Superior Court, where prosecutors have secured consecutive multi-count convictions and life sentences against child sex assault offenders throughout 2025 and 2026.
Those cases include a man sentenced to 240 years for prolific child sexual assault, another convicted on 27 child sex counts facing 675 years, and a third handed 54 years to life for grooming a 10-year-old. Ortiz's case now joins that pattern as Sacramento's Special Assault & Child Abuse Unit continues pursuing maximum-exposure sentencing in cases involving multiple child victims.
