Crime & Safety
Youth Baseball Coach from Roslindale Arraigned for Child Enticement
Jose Ortega has been held on bail since July 16. Ortega was a coach for the Boston Broncos, which play in Jamaica Plain.
A Roslindale youth baseball coach accused of grooming one of his players for sexual abuse was arraigned today in Suffolk Superior Court after being indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday.
Jose Ortega, 41, was arraigned on three counts of enticement of a child under 16, according to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. The indictments stem from multiple incidents involving the same teenage boy that involved accusations of inappropriate conversations in person and through Facebook.
Ortega was a manager for the Boston Broncos baseball team. The Broncos play in Jamaica Plain and have many JP players.
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Nicknamed "Brujo" - he has been held on $50,000 bail since his arraignment in West Roxbury District Court on July 16. His bail remains the same, and if he were to get out, he needs to stay away from the alleged victim, and have no contact with children younger than 18. "Brujo," roughly translated, can mean witch or shaman.
Prosecutors said Ortega met the victim, a 12-year-old boy, in a Jamaica Plain convenience store in March. The accused allegedly invited the boy to join the Boston Broncos baseball league, which Ortega managed.
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During several months Ortega allegedly promised to get the boy into the major leagues, bought him a baseball bat - and began making inappropriate comments in person, on the phone, and through Facebook. Ortega allegedly suggested that he and the boy showing together at the manager's house and watch videos of naked women. On another occasion, Ortega allegedly asked the victim to meet him in his van alone - the boy did not meet Ortega.
The former Boston Broncos manager also referred to the boy as "pretty baby" and made sexual comments via Facebook to the victim.
In messages sent through Facebook chat, Ortega called the victim “pretty baby” and made sexually explicit comments, prosecutors said. A relative of the victim contacted Boston Police after seeing Facebook messages.
Ortega is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 24.
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