For more than three decades, Adrian Betancourt lived with a secret he says shaped nearly every chapter of his life. Now, the man once identified only as “John Doe” in court documents is reclaiming his identity and speaking publicly for the first time about the childhood sexual abuse he says he e ndured at the hands of his cousin — former San Jose City Councilman Omar Torres. Betancourt’s account ultimately helped expose Torres’ crimes and led to the former politician’s conviction on felony child sexual abuse charges. In April 2025, Torres was convicted of three counts of felony child sexual abuse involving a minor under 14 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. He is also required to register as a sex offender for life. Betancourt says speaking out after 33 years of silence was both painful, but also imperative. “I don’t really call myself a survivor,” Betancourt said. “I understand I was a victim. I did put in my statement at one point that I was my own childhood hero.” San Jose Aug 29, 2025 Disgraced former San Jose councilman Omar Torres sentenced to 18 years San Jose Apr 8, 2025 Disgraced former San Jose Councilman Omar Torres pleads no contest to sex crimes San Jose Oct 10, 2024 Sexual misconduct allegations against San Jose councilman detailed in court documents Betancourt said the abuse began in 1990, shortly after his family moved from El Paso, Texas into the home of Torres’ parents in San Jose. Betancourt was just four years old at the time. Torres, five years older, was nine.The multigenerational home had several bedrooms and a backhouse where his grandparents lived. Betancourt described it as typical of a large Mexican family—with all 20 of his cousins living there at one point. “Everybody’s on top of everybody,” he said. “The house, as big as it was, was always also empty.” He says during the day the adults were at work and in the evenings and weekends they all went out to sport practices or events. In those instances when he thought he was alone, is when he says Torres would come find him. He remembers feeling confused the first time something inappropriate happened. “I wasn’t the favorite cousin. I was always a little different than everybody else,” Betancourt said. “He always took a weird opportunity to do something dirty towards me — even getting brave enough to do it when family was around.” Betancourt said he never told his family until years later. His single mother relied on support from Torres’ parents, and within the family Torres was viewed as an exemplary child and was often referred to as ‘Mr. President’ because of his political aspirations. “He was the ideal kid,” Betancourt recalled. “He studied, he went to school, he helped the community even at a young age. He was always into politics.” Betancourt said the abuse continued until he was 13 years old, and Torres was 18. He recalls the last encounter occurring after another family member accused an uncle of similar sexual misconduct. He said that uncle was violently confronted by the rest of the family and convicted of his crime. “He took advantage one last time,” Betancourt said. “I remember it being cold and dark that day.” Though the abuse stopped for Betancour, he said its impact stayed with him into adulthood. He struggled with addiction and homelessness, even after suffering a spinal cord injury in 2012. He recalls sleeping outside San Jose’s Children’s Discovery Museum and at one point stayed at his childhood home where the abuse happened after his family had moved out. “I continued to do drugs and alcohol,” he said. Betancourt spent eight years in a wheelchair, was told he might never walk again, and drifted away from much of his family — while Torres’ political career continued to grow. The turning point came in 2024 when Torres himself contacted police. At the time, the San Jose councilmember reported that a man in Chicago he had been dating was trying to extort him by threatening to release nude videos of him. But during the investigation, police discovered sexually explicit messages from Torres involving minors. Those messages were later leaked as part of an affidavit.Betancourt said reading them triggered memories he had long tried to bury. “When I read his words, it took me back to being there — being a kid and being that vulnerable,” he said. “It didn’t sit right with me.” He first told family members about the abuse and then went to police. Investigators took his statement and later asked him to call Torres on a recorded line. Betancourt said Torres confessed and apologized during that conversation. “When I was asked how many times, I remembered it happening, I said maybe 10,” Betancourt said. “It was him who said 20 to 25 times — more than that.” When asked why he did it, Betancourt said Torres told him it was about control and claimed similar abuse had happened to him. Betancourt said he does not believe him because Torres has never taken any accountability for what he did. At one point he said Torres expressed he was in therapy and suffered from alcohol abuse. Last month, Betancourt received the Karyn Sinunu-Towery Courage Award from Jeff Rosen, the district attorney for Santa Clara County, in recognition of his role in exposing the abuse and helping convict Torres. At the ceremony, Rosen praised Betancourt’s decision to come forward. “Adrian, you are my hero. You are our hero” Rosen said. For Betancourt, the recognition represents only part of the journey. “The only thing I could really say is that it does get better,” he said. Betancourt he is now happily married and has been living a sober life outside San Jose for nearly a decade. He said besides his mother and siblings he has received little support or empathy from his extended family. He says telling his story also revealed something he believes needs attention: a lack of support systems for male survivors of sexual abuse. Now, he hopes his experience encourages others to come forward and wants to remind others not to undermine that child who might seem different. Adrian Betancourt’s latest statement: “I would like people of the community and beyond to really educate themselves on sexual abuse and the key signs to look out for. Whether it be the quiet kid, the anti-social kid, the angry kid, the dirty kid. There are so many more signs than this. We need to look out for the vulnerable and not allow our children to suffer in silence any longer. Rape and molestation are a lifelong trauma that no one deserves. Boys, young men and adult men, I say this to you especially, you no longer need to stay silent. You are not alone!” If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, support resources are available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline,1-800-656-4673 and other local organizations. ...read more read less