Janitorial services supervisor convicted of sexual assaulting subordinate at Palo Alto VA Hospital
A Palo Alto man who oversaw janitorial work at a hospital was convicted of sexually abusing a subordinate in 2021 and lying to investigators about it, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Onofre Salas-Lozano, 42, was found guilty on Jan. 31, 2025 of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse by fear and making false statements to a federal agent, federal prosecutors said in a statement Monday.
Salas-Lozano worked as a night supervisor for the janitorial services contractor that cleaned the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospital, according to prosecutors. In July 2021, Salas-Lozano trapped his victim in a patient exam room late in the night and forced her to engage in sexual activity.
"The victim suffered traumatic tissue injury during the assault, and DNA analysis confirmed the presence of Salas-Lozano's sperm in the victim's underwear," prosecutors said in a release from the DOJ about the case.
At the time of the assault, Salas-Lozano was the victim's direct supervisor.
The jury also found that Salas-Lozano lied to a VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) special agent during a subsequent investigative interview when he denied having sexual intercourse with the victim on that evening or at any other time.
According to prosecutors, at trial, Salas-Lozano testified he had consensual sex with the victim at some other time and denied making a false statement.
Salas-Lozano is facing a maximum penalty of life in federal prison on each count of aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse by fear, and a maximum penalty of eight years in prison on the count of materially false statements in a federal investigation.