Former San Jose city councilman convicted of child molestation

For release on April 8, 2025 

CONTACT: 
Jason Malinsky
Deputy District Attorney 
Public and Law Enforcement
Integrity Unit
(408) 792-2428
[email protected]

Former San Jose city councilman convicted of child molestation

Former San Jose City Councilman Omar Torres was convicted today of sexually molesting a minor in 1999. 

The conviction results from Torres, 43, pleading no contest to the charges of sodomy and oral copulation by force, violence, duress, menace or fear, and lewd and lascivious acts on a minor under the age of 14 in a court hearing today. 

Torres, who was a teenager at the time, molested the victim numerous times starting when the victim was 4 years old, according to the evidence.

Torres, who served as city council member for downtown San Jose from 2023 to late 2024 when he was charged, will be sentenced at a later date. He faces incarceration in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.

“It is heartbreaking that someone elected to represent and serve thousands of San Jose residents had previously molested a small child,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Children are vulnerable and precious, and my Office will do everything in our legal power to fight for their safety and fully prosecute those who hurt them.”

The victim contacted police last year after reports came out about a separate department investigation into potential sexual abuse of minors by Torres. 

The investigation showed that Torres abused the minor between 1990 and 1999.

The criminal charges against Torres involve alleged acts from Nov. 25, 1999, about a month after Torres turned 18 years old. 

Torres, who had previously worked as a school trustee, resigned from the city council in early November hours before his arrest. 

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