Illegal Alien Who Killed Two Teens While Drunk Set for Early Release in California — Despite Deportation Orders and Long Rap Sheet
In a case igniting national outrage, a twice-deported illegal alien with a violent criminal history is scheduled to walk free from a California prison after serving just over three years of a ten-year sentence for killing two teenagers in a horrific DUI crash.
A Deadly Crime with Deep Roots in Failed Enforcement
Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, 43, entered the U.S. illegally multiple times and was most recently deported in 2018. Yet he returned once again, undetected, and in November 2021, while drunk and high, plowed into 19-year-olds Anya Varfolomeev and Nikolay Osokin at over 100 mph on California’s 405 freeway. The couple’s vehicle was engulfed in flames. Both burned alive.
Despite a decade-long sentence (two concurrent 10-year terms for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated), the sanctuary state of California is releasing Ortega-Anguiano more than six years early — with a projected date of July 19, 2025.
ICE Steps In — But Will California Cooperate?
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer request with North Kern State Prison in Delano, CA, asking that Ortega-Anguiano be transferred to federal custody upon release. ICE’s statement confirms a long list of prior convictions:
- Burglary (2005)
- Vehicle theft (2007)
- Battery on a spouse with kidnapping (2014)
- Multiple illegal reentries into the U.S.
ICE noted that after his 2018 deportation, Ortega-Anguiano again illegally reentered the country, undetected, and ultimately killed the two U.S. citizens.
A Weak Sentence Cut Even Shorter
The victims’ families already believed Ortega-Anguiano’s 10-year sentence was a travesty of justice. Now, after being notified by the California Department of Corrections that the killer will walk free in just over 3.5 years, their heartbreak has turned to outrage.
Family members say they were contacted on Easter Sunday with the news. Documents obtained by Fox News and shared by reporter Bill Melugin confirm the July 2025 release date.
The California Department of Corrections declined to confirm the release, citing inmate privacy, but acknowledged that “sentence credits” for participation in rehabilitative programs could shorten time served.
Feds File New Charges: “The DOJ Will Act If California Won’t”
In a sharp rebuke to the state’s soft stance, Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, announced that his office has filed felony federal immigration charges against Ortega-Anguiano.
“If the State of California will not seek the full measure of justice against this individual, the @TheJusticeDept will,” Essayli said.
He confirmed that Ortega-Anguiano faces up to 20 years in federal prison under 8 U.S.C. §1326, related to illegal reentry after deportation.
Essayli’s office has also obtained a warrant for Ortega-Anguiano’s arrest, which would compel California to hand him over upon release.
Essayli Targets Sanctuary State Policies
Essayli, formerly a California Assemblyman, has been a vocal critic of California’s sanctuary policies, which routinely ignore ICE detainers and release dangerous illegal immigrants back into communities.
In a previous interview with The Gateway Pundit, Essayli revealed his plans to aggressively enforce immigration laws and even hinted at pursuing charges against state officials who actively shield criminals from federal law enforcement.
The Stakes for Public Safety
The victims, Anya and Nikolay, were just beginning their adult lives. They were U.S. citizens. They had dreams, families, and a future. Ortega-Anguiano — a man with multiple violent felony convictions, deportations, and an unlicensed driving record — was still on the streets. Now, he may soon walk free again.
Even if deported, the families and immigration officials alike fear he’ll come back again, just as he has before.
As of now, California officials are silent, but public pressure is mounting.
This is more than a legal failure — it’s a moral one. And it’s not just California watching. The entire country is.