Man convicted of exploitation visited Philippines for sex

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former Southern California teacher has been convicted of child exploitation after prosecutors said he travelled to the Philippines to have sex with young girls and videotaped the encounters.

The United States Attorney’s Office says 65-year-old Robert Ruben Ornelas was found guilty Thursday on seven counts including producing child pornography.

The former Orange County teacher will be sentenced February 27, when he faces a total of 190 years in federal prison.

Authorities said that after at least three trips to the Philippines beginning in 2006, Ornelas brought video images of the sexual encounters back to the United States.

Ornelas worked as a teacher in the Santa Ana Unified School District from 1992 to 2003, and coached a local girls’ softball team.

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