Mountain View Barber Charged in 43 Sexual-Assault Counts

Franklin Enrique Sarceno Orla, a Mountain View barber extradited from Guatemala, has been charged by the Santa Clara County District Attorney with 43 felony sex-assault counts alleging he sexually assaulted at least 19 local men and may have victimized more than 60 people since 2018. Prosecutors and police say many victims were unconscious after sharing drinks with Sarceno Orla, that he may have drugged and videotaped victims, and that forensic testing corroborated assaults in several cases; officials also say he is HIV positive. Authorities allege he continued assaults after posting $250,000 bail following an August 2024 arrest, then fled the U.S. ahead of a scheduled court appearance and was later located in Guatemala. Guatemalan law enforcement arrested him and he was returned to the Bay Area after coordination among Mountain View police, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the State Department and the Justice Department. Sarceno Orla is being held without bail and is due to be arraigned Monday, Oct. 27, in Palo Alto; if convicted he faces a possible life sentence.