Man admits to child rape in Pottstown
A 34-year-old man who may not be a U.S. citizen is facing jail time and possible deportation for child rape.
NORRISTOWN >> A Pottstown man potentially faces prison time and deportation from the U.S. now that he’s admitted to sexually assaulting an underage girl in the borough.
With the assistance of a Spanish interpreter, Carlos Maldonado-Ortiz, 34, formerly of the 500 block of King Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court on Thursday to a felony charge of rape of a child in connection with incidents that occurred between 2013 and 2015. Judge Garrett D. Page deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigative report about Maldonado-Ortiz, who hails from Guatemala.
At the time of the incidents, which occurred in Pottstown while the girl was in Maldonado-Ortiz’s company, the girl was between the ages of 12 and 14, authorities alleged.
“Certainly anytime you are talking about the sexual abuse of a child it’s deeply troubling but of course in this case it also involved an abuse of trust,” said county Assistant District Attorney M. Stewart Ryan, alleging Maldonado-Ortiz violated the trust that was placed in him to care for the girl while she was in his company. During the hearing, defense lawyer R. Emmett Madden reminded Maldonado-Ortiz that if he is determined to be an undocumented immigrant his immigration status could be affected by his conviction.
“It’s more than likely you will be deported by virtue of your plea,” Page warned Maldonado-Ortiz, who communicated that he understood the ramifications of his guilty plea.
Testimony revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed an immigration detainer against Maldonado-Ortiz. In the event that deportation proceedings do pro-
ceed against MaldonadoOrtiz, he would have to complete any U.S. sentence before he is deported.
Maldonado-Ortiz faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison on the charge. However,
state sentencing guidelines could allow for less jail time depending on the results of the background investigation.
“We will be asking for a significant state sentence so that he can be held to account for his actions,” said Ryan, who leads the district attorney’s sex crimes prosecution unit.
Prior to sentencing,
Maldonado-Ortiz also must undergo an evaluation by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which will determine if he meets criteria under state law to be classified as a sexually violent predator.
Those classified as predators face more stringent restrictions under state law, including mandatory
counseling and community notification about their housing arrangements.
Regardless of the state board’s eventual findings, Maldonado-Ortiz faces a lifetime requirement to report his address to state police if he remains in the U.S.
An investigation of Maldonado-Ortiz began in
April 2015 when the girl disclosed to others that Maldonado-Ortiz had sexual contact with her while she was in his company on five occasions between 2013 and 2015 in Pottstown. Maldonado-Ortiz allegedly told the girl “this was a game,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Detective Heather Long.
Maldonado-Ortiz also pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with an unrelated July 2016 incident. State police at Skippack alleged Maldonado-Ortiz had a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 percent at the time of the incident on Route 422 in Limerick, more than two times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.