Lorain woman gets prison for helping boyfriend rape girls in 2020

A Lorain woman who found teenage girls for her boyfriend to rape and abuse more than three years ago was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison in Lorain County Common Pleas Court on Thursday. Judge Melissa Kobasher sentenced Flordelis Acosta, 43, of Washington Avenue, to an indefinite term of 15 to 17½ years in prison for being an accomplice to Jose Colon's rape of two teenage girls, according to the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office. Acosta pleaded guilty to three counts of complicity to rape, all felonies, and two counts of endangering children, both misdemeanors, just prior to her scheduled trial date on Jan. 24, according to prosecutors and court records. Chris Rewak, Acosta's defense attorney, said he had no comment on her behalf. In a news release, Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson said Acosta "victimized vulnerable children and is a danger to the community." "She and her co-defendant, Jose Colon, fully deserve the sentences that they received," he said. "I hope that the conclusion of these criminal cases allows the survivors of these heinous crimes to continue their healing." Assistant Lorain County Assistant Prosecutors Tina Kishman and Matt Kern prosecuted Acosta and Colon following an investigation by the Lorain Police Department. Police were notified of the allegations in February 2020 after the victims disclosed the abuse to school officials, who then contacted Lorain County Children Services. Colon, now 28, is serving a 15- to 20-year prison sentence in Belmont Correctional Institution, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. He pleaded guilty to rape, attempted rape, gross sexual imposition and domestic violence charges in Judge Mark Betleski's courtroom in 2021. Colon's earliest release date is in January 2035, according to the ODRC. Both Colon and Acosta were labeled Tier III sex offenders. This means they must register with their local sheriff's office in person every 90 days for the rest of their lives upon release from prison. Early on in the case, Acosta pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and was found incompetent to stand trial. After that happened, Judge Mark Betleski ordered her to be treated at Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare in Northfield starting in September 2020. Betleski ruled her fit to stand trial in April 2022, according to court records. Tomlinson said Drake, his office's facility dog, sat with the survivors during court hearings "to provide them with emotional support as they navigated the criminal process." "I want to thank my assistant prosecutors, our office's victim advocates and the Lorain Police Department for all of their diligent work in bringing Acosta and Colon to justice," he said Thursday. Acosta is the 104th sex offender prosecuted in Lorain County since 2021, according to Tomlinson's office. Tomlinson said his office "has made holding sex offenders accountable an enforcement priority and the number of defendants ordered to register as sex offenders has increased 26 percent since 2021." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @DaveOBrienCT.