A 59-year-old Bethlehem man faces deportation after he was convicted of groping a 22-year-old co-worker at an Italian restaurant in Bethlehem Township.
Marco Antonio Flores Gordillo groped the young woman in July 2024 when they were both working at Bruno Scipioni’s Italian Ristorante and Pizzeria.
Court records say Gordillo forced himself on the woman in a back room. She testified at trial that he forced a kiss on her, groped her breasts under her shirt and held her down. Gordillo testified that he kissed her but denied restraining her.
The jury convicted Gordillo of indecent assault but acquitted him of indecent assault by forcible compulsion. Northampton County Judge Brian Panella sentenced Gordillo on Wednesday, June 10, to two years of probation.
Gordillo has already spent a year and ten months in Northampton County Prison awaiting disposition of his charges. He’ll be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and likely deported, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Christine Murphy.
Gordillo wore a headset so he could hear a translator in court. He declined an opportunity to speak at the hearing. His attorney, David Melman, assured the judge Gordillo will stay away from the victim and the restaurant.
The judge thanked the victim for appearing in court. He explained that a judge needs a very compelling reason to sentence someone above the state guideline range. That’s what guided his sentencing decision for Gordillo on the misdemeanor crime.
“Your voice matters and your voice is heard,” Panella told the victim.
Murphy lamented that the case dragged on for almost two years. The trial was in March.
“The case having finally been concluded will allow the victim to have some closure,” she said.
