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LAPD Urges Victims Of Revenge Porn Case To Come Forward

RESEDA (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles Police Department Monday urged victims of a revenge porn case to come forward.

According to the LAPD, Sergio Ortiz uploaded videos of himself having sex with at least a dozen women to an amateur porn website using the alias - Theugly1.

The 32-year-old was arrested on Sept. 1 on a misdemeanor charge of distributing private sexual images and was released from jail six days later on bail.

"Our main goal is to get justice for the victims that don't know they are victims," Detective Eloy Navarro said. "I want to reassure them that it's going to be totally confidential and they can trust us with information."

The website, based in Germany, has taken down the illegal videos.

"It seems to us that this suspect went out of his way to meet as many women as he could, tried to have sex with them with the intent of ultimately posting these videos," Det. Ninette Toosbuy said.

The one victim, who came forward, claimed she agreed to be recorded when she and Ortiz had sex but did not give him permission to post the video on the internet. She said he promised her he would delete it before she ended the relationship.

She found out about her ordeal through a coworker and is "suffering tremendous emotional distress and humiliation at work, as well as among friends and family," according to a police press release.

"She went online to see the video, and she was embarrassed. She was appalled, and she called us," Navarro said.

Ortiz met the victim through an online dating site, police said.

It is a crime to post sexually explicit videos or images without the other person's consent under the "Revenge Porn" law enacted in 2013.

"Could be something as simple as if you had videos or images of your ex-lover, and you simply send it to family members or you send it to schoolmates," Toosbuy said.

Detectives said it is even more disturbing because the alleged crimes do not appear to be the acts of a scorned lover, the intent was to humiliate women.

Ortiz is set to be arraigned Sept. 20.

If convicted of the single count, Ortiz faces up to six months in jail and a $500 fine, according to the City Attorney's office.

Other victims are urged to contact the West Valley Division at (818) 374-7713.

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