Ex-N.J. caseworker groped woman he was assigned to investigate, sent her sexually explicit video, AG says
Gilberto Ortiz Jr., 50, of Woodbury, Gloucester County, was suspended by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and has since resigned, authorities said.
A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Families was charged with official misconduct and criminal sexual contact for allegedly groping a woman he was assigned to investigate and sending her a sexually explicit video of himself, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced Wednesday.
Gilberto Ortiz Jr., 50, of Woodbury, Gloucester County, was suspended by the department and has since resigned, the AG’s Office said.
Ortiz was employed as a bilingual family services specialist and had been assigned to investigate a case involving a woman and her young child, prosecutors said. During February home visits, he allegedly made sexual advances while warning the woman she was involved in a serious case of negligence, prosecutors said.
Ortiz allegedly indicated he would “help her” if she had a relationship with him, the AG’s Office said in a news release. During one visit, Ortiz allegedly touched the woman inappropriately without her consent and pushed her hand against his body. He later allegedly sent her texts including a sexually explicit video and photos of himself, prosecutors said.
Ortiz’s attorney, Michele Finizio, of Moorestown, declined to comment on the case Wednesday.
If convicted of the second-degree official misconduct charge, Ortiz faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison without parole and a maximum of 10 years. The sexual contact charge, a fourth-degree offense, carries a sentence of up to 18 months in prison.