Dale City man sentenced to prison after raping and drugging his victims

Balmore Ortiz Guardado, 36, of Dale City, faces a minimum of 35 years in prison after Prince William County District Court Judge Kimberly A. Irving sentenced him to life in prison. Guardado was charged with drugging and raping women and girls.

From the office of Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth:

…the defendant, a drug trafficker, actively recruited and supplied illegal substances, including Percocet pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamines, cocaine, Xanax, and alcohol, to female victims ages 15 to 16, and facilitated the sexual abuse and rape of the victims, often while they were incapacitated by drug use or under the threat of a firearm. These acts occurred in late 2021 into 2022. The defendant was arrested on January 26, 2023.

On January 17, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to the following fourteen counts: three (3) counts of rape, three (3) counts of sexual penetration with objects, seven (7) counts of distribution of Schedule I or II substances to a minor, and one (1) count of possession of child pornography. No agreement could be reached on the sentence to be imposed, and a sentencing hearing to determine the appropriate sentence was held on June 27, 2024. The defendant was ordered to register on the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry.

After hearing evidence and arguments from both sides at sentencing, the defendant sentenced the Honorable to six life terms plus 215 years of imprisonment, with 179 years suspended (35 years mandatory). The judge based his departure from the sentencing guidelines, which recommend a sentence of between 35 and 86 years, on “the violence of the crimes, the number of victims and the impact (of the crimes) on the victims, the use of a firearm, and the recommendation of the Commonwealth.”