Woodbridge man sentenced to life for drugging, sexually abusing teenage girls

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. ( DC News Now ) — The Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has announced that a drug dealer was sentenced to life for providing illegal substances to teenage girls and sexually abusing them.

The attorney’s office announced that 36-year-old Balmore Ortiz Guardado, of Woodbridge, actively recruited and provided Percocet pills that were laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, Xanax and alcohol to teens. He then sexually abused and raped his victims while threatening them with a gun.

The Attorney’s Office said these acts took place in the late 2021 through 2022.

On Jan. 17, Guardado plead guilty to 14 charges including three counts of rape and object sexual penetration, seven counts of distribution of a Schedule I or II to a Minor, and Possession of Child Pornography. He was also ordered to register with the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.

After hearing the evidence in court, a judge sentenced Guardado to six life sentences, and an additional 215 years with 179 suspended.

The Attorney’s Office said the judge’s reasoning for departing from the Sentencing Guidelines, which recommended a range of 35 to 86 years, included “the violence of the crimes, the number of victims and the effect [of the crimes] on the victims, the use of a firearm, and the recommendation of the Commonwealth.”

In a news release, the Attorney Amy Ashworth released the following statement:

This was a very complex and difficult case as there were so many allegations and very little evidence to corroborate what the victims were telling us occurred due to the late report. However, with the hard work of the police detectives investigating the case, multiple search warrants, and the digital forensic investigative work, we were able to piece together the evidence and paint the picture of horrific abuse these minors suffered. The Defendant engaged in a pattern of grooming the victims by initially giving them Percocet laced with fentanyl, in exchange for money and gradually escalated to providing drugs for free in order to sexually abuse them. This calculated manipulation demonstrated a clear intent to exploit the vulnerabilities of the victims for his personal satisfaction. It doesn’t get much worse. Our hearts go out to these victims and their families who will forever struggle to recover from the pain inflicted by Mr. Ortiz Guardado and we are grateful for the justice we were able to obtain on their behalf.”

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