A woman beater got his due Tuesday when Common Pleas Judge Stephen A. Corr sentenced him to just under 4 1/2 to 13 years in state prison for repeatedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend and attempting to intimidate and terrorize her into not testifying against him.
Anthony Ortiz, 34, entered an open guilty plea on this past Tuesday pleading guilty to charges including strangulation, intimidation of witnesses, unlawful restraint, simple assault, harassment, and recklessly endangering another person. Given the severity of the offenses, Judge Corr imposed a sentence within the aggravated range of sentencing guidelines, the minimum being just under 4 1/2 years to a maximum of 13 years.
Corr ordered Ortiz to undergo domestic violence supervision, have no contact with the victims, and complete a mental health evaluation, said Manuel Gamiz, a spokesman for the Bucks County District Attorney’s office.
As a result of three incidents last summer, two of which Lower Bucks Source covered, Ortiz was arrested and charged.
Ortiz almost a year ago to the day, was arrested for beating his significant other and slamming her son with a chair at Pennsbury Woods Apartments on the 9100 block of New Falls Road in Falls. Ortiz’s rampage started with the usual justification men use to beat women: insecurity and jealousy.
In a separate incident on July 21, 2024, in Bensalem Township, Ortiz struck his girlfriend twice in the face and prevented her from exiting a vehicle and a Wawa store, as captured on surveillance video, according to court records.
In the third attack, Ortiz punched, slapped, stabbed her multiple times with his vape pen, choked her and beat her, according to court records. Ortiz, the victim told police had threatened to kill her that day and that should she report the incident to anyone else, he would kill her son also. Ortiz stole her phone and house keys before fleeing in the victim’s 2021 White Nissan Sentra with Pennsylvania tags, according to the probable cause.
Ortiz repeatedly contacted the victim prior to preliminary hearings in September 2024, according to authorities, pressuring her not to appear or testify.
He sent messages instructing her to tell the authorities she “didn’t want to press charges in the first place,” and urged her to “stand your ground and tell them … I’m not taking no stand, I’m not testifying, like nothing, I’m not doing none of that.” He also threatened her with repercussions if she testified. The victim subsequently failed to appear at a scheduled hearing.
“The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting domestic violence cases and holding offenders accountable for their actions,” Gamiz said.
These cases were investigated by the Falls Township Police Department and the Bensalem Township Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sean P. Lawall. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting domestic violence cases and holding offenders accountable for their actions.