Man, 27, Who Groped Woman In OC Elevator Pleads Guilty

IRVINE, CA — A man pleaded guilty Monday and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 120 hours of community service for groping a victim at a storage facility in Irvine, court records show.

Rafael Ezequiel Cortez, 27, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of touching an intimate part of another person. As a part of the plea deal, misdemeanor counts of battery and false imprisonment were dismissed, records show.

The assault happened on June 25, 2022, at Extra Storage at 17 Shield in the City of Irvine, according to the Irvine Police Department.

According to police, the victim said she was waiting for the elevator when the doors opened and two men walked out. However, one of the men re-entered the elevator after she stepped on.

The victim said Cortez reached out to fondle her chest, police said. She pushed Cortez away and told him to stop, they said.

The victim was able to escape the elevator and get away from Cortez on the first floor of the facility, according to police. The suspect then ran off and got into a moving truck, authorities said.

Cortez was employed by a moving company that was present at the facility on the day of the assault.