By Rebecca Henely
A Jackson Heights sex offender pleaded guilty last Thursday to failing to register his electronic identifiers with the state and faces a sentence of two to four years in prison, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
Luis Ortiz, 31, of 76th Street and Northern Boulevard, was the first person in the city to be charged under the Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act, also known as E-STOP, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. This law, passed in 2008, requires sex offenders to register online identifiers such as e-mail addresses and screen names with the state Division of Criminal Justice Service’s New York State Sex Offender Registry.
In 2008, Ortiz pleaded guilty to promoting a sexual performance by a minor, the DA said. He was sentenced to 10 years probation and in July 2009 was classified as a sex offender, the DA said.
As part of his classification, Ortiz was required to register his online accounts, but failed to do so on his sex offender registration forms and lied to the state, saying he had none, the DA said. Investigation into the matter revealed Ortiz actually had a Facebook account under “Kal-El,” the birth name of the DC Comics superhero Superman, and an e-mail address nyspops@gmail.com, the DA said. Ortiz became the first person to be charged under this law in December, the DA said.
“The defendant has learned the hard way that failing to provide information about his Internet activities is a serious matter,” the DA said in a statement. “The sexual exploitation of children is among the most heinous of crimes and my office is committed to protecting children from predators.”
Ortiz pleaded guilty to offering a false instrument for filing, the DA said. Queens Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Chin-Brant plans to sentence him to an indeterminate term of two to four years in prison, the DA said.
Ortiz’s sentencing is set for May 20, the DA said.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
