Former San Jose councilman gets 18 years in state prison for sexually assaulting child
“Today’s sentence holds Omar Torres accountable for perpetrating horrendous crimes against a child, This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law, and it is never too late for justice. We admire the victim’s courage to come forward to report the abuse he suffered.”
By Richard Ramos
August 29, 2025 / 4:15 PM PDT / CBS San Francisco
A former city councilman in California's San Francisco Bay Area was sentenced to 18 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a child over multiple years, prosecutors said Friday.
Omar Torres, 43, was convicted in April after pleading no contest to charges of forcible sodomy, forcible oral copulation and molesting a child under 14, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said.
Authorities said the victim was a 13-year-old boy Torres is related to, and the crimes began in 1999, with Torres only stopping once he worried he could be caught.
The victim reported the acts to the police when he learned of a separate investigation into Torres involving the sexual abuse of minors, the district attorney's office said.
Torres served on the San Jose City Council from 2023 to November 2024, when he resigned from the role and was arrested.
Torres will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
"Today's sentence holds Omar Torres accountable for perpetrating horrendous crimes against a child," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law, and it is never too late for justice. We admire the victim's courage to come forward to report the abuse he suffered."
Prior to his time on the city council, Torres also worked as an elected trustee of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District.