On Friday, a man living with HIV, who is accused of sexually assaulting numerous individuals, was extradited back to California after fleeing the country.

According to KGO, Franklin Enrique Sarceño Orla, 35, has been accused of assaulting between 19 and 60 men in Santa Clara County since 2018. Sarceño Orla reportedly escaped to Guatemala last year following charges of raping a man and posting a $250,000 bail.

Sarceño Orla operated as a barber from his apartment in Mountain View. Victims recounted to KGO that they had drinks with him, only to later find themselves unconscious and waking up in his residence.

In a report from July 2024, a man informed Mountain View police that after drinking beers with Sarceño Orla, he awoke feeling disoriented. Medical tests confirmed he had been sexually assaulted, leading to the initial charges against Sarceño Orla, as detailed by the Mountain View Voice.

Prosecutors suspect that Sarceño Orla continued committing assaults while he was out on bail. Although it was revealed that Sarceño Orla is HIV-positive, the timeline of when he contracted the virus remains uncertain.

The Mountain View Voice reported that some of the victims recalled details from their assault. Additionally, police allegedly discovered evidence indicating Sarceño Orla filmed some of the assaults.

KGO reported that some of the victims were Sarceño Orla’s clients, while others met him at a bar.

Denied bail on Monday, Sarceño Orla is charged with 43 felony counts of sexual assault. He is due back in court in January.

[Feature Photo: Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office]