Man sexually abused by ex-SJ Councilmember Omar Torres speaks publicly for 1st time

ByDustin Dorsey KGO logo

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Man sexually abused by ex-SJ councilmember speaks for 1st time

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- For the first time since going to police about being sexually abused by former San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres, his cousin Adrian Betancourt spoke publicly about the courage it took to come forward.

In court proceedings, victim impact statements and in the eyes of many, he was known only as "John Doe."

Now, Betancourt is claiming his trauma.

"My name is Adrian Betancourt," he said. "I am the man who, just like many of you, just can't stand by and let injustices to happen."

Betancourt is the recipient of the Karyn Sinunu-Towery "Courage" Award from Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen for coming forward after he was sexually abused by Omar Torres.

Rosen said it helped lead to the former San Jose Councilmember's incarceration.

"Adrian's story is harrowing," Rosen said at his State of the Office speech Tuesday. "Adrian, you are my hero. You are our hero too."

This was the first time Betancourt spoke publicly about the assaults he says date back to when he was just a child and well into his teen years.

Our camera was the only one on hand as he thanked the men and women who supported him when he came forward.

"I am standing up here today to give a voice to the most vulnerable," Betancourt said. "The children, the victims, the survivors of sexual assault, the boys and young men and adult men that stay silent and hold it all in."

For Betancourt, holding it in led to years of drug and alcohol addiction and even homelessness.

But when news broke that his abuser may have been involved in another sexual assault, he knew he could not stay silent anymore.

"Coming forward was not easy," Betancourt said. "I did take into consideration everything that I had to lose, but what mattered stuck to me the most- the gain in positivity that came out of it."

"Adrian's sad story is also one of triumphant resurrection," Rosen said. "A person who had the immense strength to face his worst nightmare and dispel it by thinking of how to help others, how to help the next victim and how to help that next person who's going to take on the last name, 'Doe.'"

Betancourt's is a story of bravery to provide hope for justice for the next survivor.

TAKE ACTION: Get help with sexual assault, rape, and abuse