Siler City man sentenced for trafficking young girl, sending obscene cell photos
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- Jury convicted Nicandro Ortega of multiple trafficking and obscenity charges.
- Court sentenced Ortega to 754–1,307 months, effectively 62 to 109 years.
- Victim, now 22, testified at length over a six-day jury trial.
A Siler City man was sentenced Wednesday to between 62 and 109 years in prison for human trafficking and sexual servitude involving a young girl.
Chatham County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Nicandro Ortega, 57, in June 2023 after receiving a report from a relative about inappropriate sexual conduct. The relative gave investigators two obscene photos that the person said Ortega had sent to them in cell phone messages.
The victim in the case was younger than 17 years old at the time of the incidents, which happened over several years, according to court documents.
A jury saw evidence and heard testimony in the case, including from the victim, for six days this month in Chatham County Superior Court, according to a news release from the Orange-Chatham District Attorney’s Office.
The jury considered the evidence for just one hour before finding Ortega guilty of three counts of human trafficking a child victim, three counts of sexual servitude of a child victim, four counts of indecent liberties with a child and six counts of felony disseminating obscenity, the release said.
Superior Court Judge Tonia Cutchin sentenced Ortega to 754 months to 1,307 months — 62 years to nearly 109 years — in prison for those charges. Several other charges were dismissed, including a violation of a domestic violence order for having a friend reach out to the victim while Ortega was in jail, court records show.
Chatham County District Attorney Jeff Nieman explained on Thursday that although Ortega was the only person who committed the acts, he was charged with human trafficking under state law, because he had solicited the child repeatedly over time for an act of sexual gratification — either for direct or indirect compensation.
The law also requires a person to have “willful and reckless disregard,” he added.
“It doesn’t really look like what people think of when they think of sexual trafficking,” Nieman said.
He also praised Chatham County Assistant District Attorney Lynn Kelly, who prosecuted the case, and Ortega’s victim, who is now 22 years old, for her “incredible courage.”
“She not only endured years of abuse at the hands of this man but also reported these events to authorities and bravely testified in court over several days,” Nieman said.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Siler City man sentenced for trafficking young girl, sending obscene cell photos."
