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A man who worked for a janitorial services company servicing the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Hospital has been indicted on charges of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse and making false statements to a federal agent during an investigation, prosecutors said.
Palo Alto resident Onofre Salas-Lozano, 40, appeared in federal court in San Jose on April 28 to face the three-felony-count indictment, according to the United States Attorney’s Office and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of the Inspector General have announced. He pleaded not guilty.
Salas-Lozano and the female victim worked for a janitorial services company that cleans the Palo Alto VA Hospital. He allegedly used force and fear to cause the victim to engage in a sex act at the hospital on July 2, 2021. Salas-Lozano was the victim’s direct supervisor. He is also charged with lying to a VA Office of the Inspector General special agent during an investigative interview by claiming he never had sexual intercourse with the victim. He was arrested after an investigation by the VA Inspector General’s Office and the VA police.
The first two charges each carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The third count, which charges Salas-Lozano with making a materially false statement in a federal investigation, carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison. He also faces a maximum of $750,000 in fines if convicted of all three charges.
Salas-Lozano was arraigned in federal court in San Jose on April 28 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael M. Cousins. He remains in custody and was set to appear in court on Wednesday, May 3, for a detention hearing, according to the press release.